Italy and the United States have opened a call for research projects to deepen transatlantic cooperation in scientific and technological fields during 2027–2028. The initiative follows the bilateral Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement signed in 1988 and commitments adopted in Washington in 2025 and 2026.
Italian funding will come from the ministries of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, University and Research, and Health.
Proposals must address 1 of 4 priority areas: sustainable nuclear technologies for fission and fusion; advanced multiscale materials, neuroglia models and biocomputing; biotechnology for human health; or quantum technologies, including sensing, information, hybrid AI–quantum algorithms and high-performance computing.
The program offers 2 funding tracks. Regular Projects may receive up to €100,000 annually for 2 years and generally involve teams of no more than 4 researchers in each country. Flagship Projects may receive up to €250,000 annually for 24 months. These larger initiatives should normally include 5–8 members per national team and build on an established Italian American research partnership.
Each proposal must be jointly directed by 2 principal investigators – 1 based in Italy and 1 in the United States. The U.S. investigator must demonstrate that funding is available to support the American team’s activities. The coordinating Italian institution must provide co-funding equal to approximately 50% of eligible project costs. Priority may be given to early-career researchers within 10 years of receiving their Ph.D.
Applications must be written in English and submitted by the Italian principal investigator through the Foreign Ministry’s online platform. An endorsement letter signed by the institution’s legal representative is mandatory. Each investigator may lead only 1 proposal.
The submission deadline is noon Central European Time on July 18, 2026. Selected projects will be ranked separately under the Regular and Flagship categories, with financing awarded according to ranking and available resources.
