The President, the Governing Board, the Director, and the entire staff of the Italian National Agency for the Evaluation of Universities and Research Institutes express their deepest condolences on the passing of Professor Luigi Nicolais.

A chemical engineer and Professor Emeritus of Materials Technology at the Federico II University of Naples, Professor Nicolais combined a solid academic career with a prominent institutional commitment in the fields of research, innovation, and public administration.

He was Minister for Reform and Innovation in Public Administration in the second Prodi government and President of the National Research Council from 2012 to 2016. He also served as Advisor for Research Policy to the Ministers of University and Research Moratti, Fedeli, and Messa, and from November 2022 he held the same role for Minister Anna Maria Bernini.

With the passing of Professor Nicolais, the academic and research world has lost a figure of high scientific and institutional standing. ANVUR joins his family and the entire scientific community in mourning his loss.