Strengthening of public research infrastructures (CAP)

With Directorate Decree No. 274 of 15 February 2013, the Ministry of Education, Universities and Research issued a new Announcement, falling within the Cohesion Action Plan (CAP), to activate interventions for structural adjustment and strengthening of highly qualified centres, in sectors and disciplines with strategic relevance to the development of the production system in the "Convergence" areas. The aim is to generate a positive impact on the economic and industrial level, increase the competitiveness and attractiveness of the public research system in southern Italy and the capacity to guarantee proven economic and financial self-sustainability in the medium to long term.

MIUR has invited universities, State university institutions, and public national research bodies and institutions supervised by branches of the Central Government and other research bodies, to submit projects regarding:

a) Coordinated interventions for the structural adjustment and strengthening of computer networks and digital infrastructures (ICT), through the development and adoption of highly innovative and technologically advanced solutions, with the joint aim of providing support to education on all levels, and to interdisciplinary research in the Convergence regions; and at the same time, to promote the advanced use of digital technology by the public, enterprises and the civil service in the area;

b) Interventions for the updating and consolidation of infrastructures for environmental monitoring, able to provide incentives in the Convergence regions for the development of collaborative and multidisciplinary research in the area of interest, with a positive impact on the international level;

c) Interventions for structural measures in the Convergence areas, of a "long term digital preservation" system of the products/results of the research, through the use of standard open solutions (the principle of open government and open access), in a context of cooperation with other national institutions and in coherence with the recommendations of Horizon 2020.

Financial resources

For the implementation of the Announcement, MIUR has allocated financial resources totalling 76.5 million euro under the Cohesion Action Plan (CAP), distributed as follows:

• total 46.5m euro for interventions with reference to point a)
• total 20m euro for interventions with reference to point b)
• total 10m euro for interventions with reference to point c)

The projects must be submitted by 12.00 noon on 3 April 2013 through the SIRIO computer portal (http://roma.cilea.it).

Evaluation will completed within 60 days starting from the submission date of the projects. (2 June 2013).

Any request for information may be sent to MIUR via the following e-mail address: sespar.upoc@miur.it.