Deadline: 18-Jul-2026
The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has launched a bilateral research call to strengthen scientific collaboration between Italy and the United States. The call supports joint research projects in advanced technologies, health innovation, nuclear technologies, advanced materials, biotechnology, quantum technologies, artificial intelligence, and high-performance computing.
Funding is available through two project categories: Regular Projects and Flagship Projects. Regular Projects provide up to €100,000 per year for 24 months, while Flagship Projects provide up to €250,000 per year for 24 months and support larger, high-impact collaborations with broader teams and long-term strategic potential.
What is the Italy–United States Bilateral Research Call?
The Italy–United States Bilateral Research Call is a scientific cooperation programme launched by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
The call aims to strengthen research collaboration between Italian and U.S. institutions through joint projects in advanced technology and health-focused innovation.
It supports partnerships that combine scientific excellence, technological development, interdisciplinary cooperation, and long-term societal impact.
Main Purpose of the Call
The main purpose of the call is to promote structured scientific collaboration between Italy and the United States.
The programme supports joint research projects that address advanced scientific challenges and contribute to future innovation in strategic fields.
It encourages partnerships that can produce high-quality research results, strengthen academic cooperation, and build long-term institutional links between both countries.
Priority Areas
The call focuses on advanced technologies and health-related innovation.
Priority areas include:
- Advanced and sustainable nuclear technologies
- Artificial intelligence applications in nuclear systems
- Systems and components for fission and fusion
- Advanced multi-scale materials for extreme environments
- Neuroglia in vitro models
- Biocomputing
- Advanced biotechnologies for human health
- Biofabrication
- Scalable biomanufacturing
- Bio-digital engineering
- Immune engineering
- Innovative therapies
- Industrial translation of biotechnology
- Quantum sensing
- Quantum information
- Hybrid AI–quantum algorithms
- High-performance computing integration
Key Concepts Explained
Bilateral Research Collaboration
Bilateral research collaboration means that institutions from two countries work together on a shared research project.
In this call, each proposal must involve one Italian principal investigator and one U.S. principal investigator.
Both sides are expected to make balanced scientific contributions.
Regular Projects
Regular Projects are focused bilateral collaborations involving small research teams.
They are designed to address targeted scientific questions, generate strong research outputs, and strengthen academic cooperation between Italy and the United States.
Flagship Projects
Flagship Projects are larger and more strategic collaborations.
They are intended for high-impact projects based on existing partnerships, broader teams, stronger governance structures, and possible involvement of additional stakeholders such as industry or public institutions.
Flagship Projects should also include a long-term sustainability strategy beyond the funded project period.
Co-Funding
Co-funding means that the grant does not cover all project costs.
Under this call, Italian-side financial support is provided as co-funding, with approximately 50 percent of total eligible project costs expected to be covered by the coordinating Italian institution.
Consortium Arrangement
Selected projects must establish formal consortium arrangements under Italian law.
The coordinating Italian institution acts as the sole recipient of funding and is responsible for managing the grant.
Project Categories and Funding Amounts
The call provides two funding categories.
Regular Projects
Regular Projects provide funding for focused bilateral research collaborations.
Key details include:
- Funding amount: up to €100,000 per year
- Duration: 24 months
- Target applicants: small research teams
- Purpose: targeted scientific collaboration
- Expected result: high-quality scientific outputs and stronger academic cooperation
Flagship Projects
Flagship Projects provide larger-scale support for strategic research partnerships.
Key details include:
- Funding amount: up to €250,000 per year
- Duration: 24 months
- Target applicants: larger research teams
- Purpose: high-impact bilateral collaboration
- Expected result: broader institutional cooperation and long-term sustainability
- Possible partners: research institutions, industry, public institutions, and other stakeholders
Funding Structure
Financial support from the Italian side is provided as co-funding.
Approximately 50 percent of total eligible project costs should be covered by the coordinating Italian institution.
Funding is disbursed in two phases.
The first-year allocation is provided in advance.
Second-year expenses are reimbursed after submission and approval of scientific and financial reports.
Eligible Costs
The call supports selected research-related expenses.
Eligible costs may include:
- Personnel costs for Italian team members
- Indirect costs
- Travel costs for Italian team members
- Travel costs for U.S. team members
- Mobility-related expenses, subject to approval
Applicants should clearly justify all requested costs and ensure they are directly linked to the proposed research activities.
Who is Eligible?
Eligibility is based on joint participation by Italian and U.S. research teams.
Each application must be submitted jointly by:
- One Italian principal investigator
- One U.S. principal investigator
Each principal investigator must be affiliated with an eligible research institution.
Eligibility for the Italian Principal Investigator
The Italian principal investigator must meet specific requirements.
The Italian PI must be:
- An Italian or EU citizen
- Resident in Italy
- Affiliated with a public or private non-profit research institution in Italy
The Italian coordinating institution must be a public or private non-profit research entity.
This institution acts as the sole recipient of funding.
Eligibility for the U.S. Principal Investigator
The U.S. principal investigator must be affiliated with a recognized research or higher education institution.
The U.S. PI must also demonstrate available funding support.
This requirement helps ensure that the U.S. side can contribute meaningfully to the project.
Institutional and Partnership Requirements
Projects must maintain balanced scientific contributions from both Italy and the United States.
Each principal investigator may submit only one proposal.
Institutional coordination rules restrict multiple lead roles within the same funding line.
Selected projects must establish formal consortium arrangements under Italian law.
Private companies may participate as additional partners, but they are not eligible to coordinate funding.
Role of Private Companies and Additional Stakeholders
Private companies may be involved as additional project partners.
They may contribute expertise, technology, facilities, industry perspective, or pathways toward application and translation.
However, private companies cannot serve as the coordinating funding recipient.
The coordinating institution must be an eligible public or private non-profit research entity.
Early-Career Researcher Priority
Early-career researchers are given priority consideration under the call.
This means proposals involving or led by early-career researchers may receive favourable attention where they meet the scientific, institutional, and eligibility requirements.
Applicants should clearly highlight early-career researcher involvement where relevant.
How the Programme Works
The programme supports joint Italy–U.S. research teams working on strategic scientific and technological themes.
Applicants select either the Regular Project or Flagship Project category.
They prepare a joint proposal that explains the research question, scientific approach, bilateral collaboration structure, expected outputs, budget, governance, and long-term impact.
The Italian coordinating institution receives and manages the Italian-side funding.
Projects run for 24 months and must comply with scientific, financial, reporting, and consortium requirements.
How to Apply
Applicants should first identify the most suitable funding category.
Regular Projects are suitable for smaller, focused collaborations.
Flagship Projects are suitable for larger, high-impact collaborations with existing partnerships, broader teams, expanded governance, and long-term strategic potential.
The Italian and U.S. principal investigators should jointly develop the proposal and confirm that both sides meet the eligibility requirements.
The proposal should clearly explain the scientific challenge, research methodology, roles of each partner, expected outputs, funding structure, and contribution to the selected priority area.
Suggested Application Steps
- Identify a priority area that matches the proposed research.
- Confirm that the Italian principal investigator meets citizenship, residency, and institutional affiliation requirements.
- Confirm that the U.S. principal investigator is affiliated with a recognized research or higher education institution.
- Confirm that the U.S. side has available funding support.
- Choose the correct project category: Regular Project or Flagship Project.
- Build a balanced Italy–U.S. research team.
- Define the research question, objectives, methodology, and expected outputs.
- Prepare a budget that reflects the co-funding requirement.
- Ensure the Italian coordinating institution can cover approximately 50 percent of total eligible project costs.
- Define governance structures, especially for Flagship Projects.
- Include additional stakeholders such as industry or public institutions where relevant.
- Prepare a long-term sustainability strategy for Flagship Projects.
- Ensure each PI submits only one proposal.
- Prepare the formal consortium arrangement required under Italian law.
- Submit the joint application through the official call process.
Why It Matters
The call strengthens scientific cooperation between Italy and the United States in strategically important research fields.
It supports innovation in areas that can shape the future of energy, health, biotechnology, quantum technologies, artificial intelligence, and advanced materials.
By funding bilateral partnerships, the programme encourages knowledge exchange, shared expertise, institutional cooperation, and high-impact research outcomes.
The call is also important because it supports both focused scientific projects and larger strategic collaborations that can continue beyond the project period.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Applicants should avoid submitting proposals without one eligible Italian PI and one eligible U.S. PI.
Italian applicants should not apply if they do not meet the citizenship, residency, and institutional affiliation requirements.
U.S. applicants should not participate without demonstrating available funding support.
Applicants should avoid choosing the wrong project category.
Small, targeted collaborations should not be presented as Flagship Projects unless they have broader scale, governance, and strategic value.
Projects should not present unbalanced contributions where one side carries most of the scientific work.
Applicants should avoid budgets that ignore the co-funding requirement.
Private companies should not be listed as coordinating institutions because they are not eligible to coordinate funding.
Each PI should also avoid submitting more than one proposal.
Tips for Strong Applications
A strong application should clearly explain the scientific value of the Italy–U.S. partnership.
The proposal should show why the collaboration is necessary and how each side contributes unique expertise.
Applicants should link the project clearly to one of the priority areas.
Regular Projects should present a focused research question and realistic scientific outputs.
Flagship Projects should demonstrate existing collaboration, broader teams, strong governance, stakeholder involvement, and a credible sustainability strategy.
The budget should be transparent and aligned with the co-funding structure.
Applications should also highlight early-career researcher involvement where relevant.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the purpose of the Italy–United States Bilateral Research Call?
The call aims to strengthen scientific collaboration between Italy and the United States through joint research projects in advanced technologies and health-focused innovation.
2. What are the priority areas?
Priority areas include advanced nuclear technologies, advanced materials, neuroglia in vitro models, biocomputing, advanced biotechnology for human health, quantum technologies, artificial intelligence, and high-performance computing integration.
3. What is the difference between Regular Projects and Flagship Projects?
Regular Projects support focused bilateral collaborations with small research teams. Flagship Projects support larger, high-impact collaborations with broader teams, existing partnerships, expanded governance, and long-term sustainability strategies.
4. How much funding is available for Regular Projects?
Regular Projects provide up to €100,000 per year for 24 months.
5. How much funding is available for Flagship Projects?
Flagship Projects provide up to €250,000 per year for 24 months.
6. Who can apply?
Each proposal must be submitted jointly by one Italian principal investigator and one U.S. principal investigator, each affiliated with eligible research institutions.
7. Can private companies coordinate projects?
No. Private companies may participate as additional partners, but they cannot coordinate funding. The coordinating institution must be a public or private non-profit research entity.
Conclusion
The Italy–United States Bilateral Research Call supports strategic scientific cooperation in advanced technologies and health innovation.
With funding available through Regular Projects and Flagship Projects, the programme enables both focused bilateral research and larger high-impact collaborations.
Applicants should ensure their proposals include eligible Italian and U.S. principal investigators, balanced scientific contributions, clear priority-area alignment, compliant co-funding arrangements, and a strong plan for scientific impact and long-term collaboration.
For more information, visit MAECI.
