ANVUR evaluates and promotes knowledge enhancement activities, namely the contribution made by Institutions to the development of society and local areas, fostering dialogue among Institutions, businesses, and civil society.
Through the monitoring and evaluation of these activities, the Agency is committed to supporting innovative practices and synergies between research and economic, territorial, environmental, and cultural development.
Specifically, within the scope of the VQR 2020–2024, the evaluation focuses on the following topics:
- Enhancement of intellectual or industrial property (e.g. patents, plant variety rights, etc.);
- Academic entrepreneurship (e.g. spin-offs, start-ups, contamination labs, etc.);
- Intermediation and technology transfer structures (e.g. technology transfer offices, incubators, science and technology parks, etc.);
- Cross-innovation and cross-fertilization initiatives; University–Business collaborations (e.g. innovative models for research carried out jointly by universities and enterprises, also through partnerships, national research centres, and innovation ecosystems, etc.);
- Training activities to promote a culture of innovation (e.g. technologies, digital transformation for knowledge dissemination, etc.).
- Production, management and enhancement of artistic and cultural heritage (e.g. museum hubs, archaeological excavations, musical activities, historic buildings and archives, historical libraries and newspaper archives, theatres and sports facilities, museum education and heritage protection, etc.);
- Lifelong learning and open education (e.g. continuing education courses, continuing medical education, MOOCs, training, advanced or refresher courses for workers and professionals, open badges and micro-credentials, skill attestations and certifications, adult education courses);
- Production of public goods of a social and educational nature, and policies for inclusion (e.g. social innovation, design of programmes of public interest, participation in participatory democracy initiatives, consensus conferences, citizen panels, etc.);
- Territorial, infrastructural and urban regeneration development projects (e.g. territorial enhancement, urban enhancement, major works, risk management, infrastructure monitoring and maintenance, etc.);
- Actions for the development of Open Science (e.g. awareness-raising, dissemination, innovation processes, engagement, open data, research integrity, etc.).
- Organisation of events (e.g. concerts, theatrical performances, film festivals, artistic performances, sports events, exhibitions and other community-oriented cultural events of public interest, etc.);
- Scientific dissemination (e.g. content designed for non-academic audiences, radio and television programmes, etc.);
- Multimedia dissemination (e.g. blogs and other social media channels for communication and scientific dissemination, excluding institutional websites, creation and management of websites, etc.);
- Initiatives for the proactive engagement of citizens in research and/or innovation, also aimed at promoting the dissemination and implementation of research and innovation results in society, and reducing inequalities and discrimination (e.g. debates, science festivals and cafés, online consultations, citizen science, legal clinics, etc.);
- Engagement and interaction activities with schools (e.g. experiments, simulations, educational games and other laboratory activities, citizenship education, etc.).
- Clinical trials (e.g. clinical trials, studies on medical devices, non-interventional studies, biobanks, pharmaceuticals, etc.);
- Initiatives for the prevention, promotion and protection of public health (e.g. patient empowerment, gender medicine, One Health, information and prevention days, screening and awareness campaigns, including those related to the right to healthcare; access to care, access to medicines, veterinary clinics, pharmaceutical care, therapeutic adherence, etc.);
- Healthcare activities for vulnerable groups (e.g. rare diseases, people with disabilities, the elderly, migrants, people living in poverty, mental health, etc.);
- International healthcare cooperation activities (e.g. global health, focus on low- and middle-income countries, etc.);
- Environmental health and food safety (e.g. environmental medicine, occupational medicine, toxicology, environmental sciences, environmental epidemiology, food hygiene, nutritional science, etc.).
- Combating poverty, promoting inclusion and social cohesion, equality before the law, and justice (e.g. poverty, hunger, decent work, reduction of inequalities, gender equality, quality education, etc.);
- Ecological and energy transition, environmental and climate sustainability (e.g. clean and accessible energy, responsible consumption and production, circular economy, green deal, climate adaptation, sustainable cities and communities, water management and protection, conservation and sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources, respectful use of natural resources, pollution prevention and mitigation, etc.);
- International cooperation for sustainable development and social cohesion (e.g. institution building activities, support for public health systems, protection of minors, etc.);
- Dissemination, promotion and spread of a culture of legality and sustainability (e.g. environmental education centres, etc.);
- Innovative activities supporting sustainability in terms of organisation, infrastructure or governance (e.g. green offices, energy efficiency of facilities, mobility projects, smart monitoring, workplace well-being, etc.).
VQR 2020-2024: ANVUR documents and FAQ