MUR PRIN Projects of Relevant National Interest

MUR PRIN Projects of Relevant National Interest is the ministry's annual national research call for fundamental projects that cut across Italian universities and public research bodies. The 2026 call is budgeted at €260 million and is framed as the first round under the new Three-Year Research Plan. It sits under MUR, not a regional authority, and is designed as a peer-reviewed, co-financed route for major national-interest research. The current call runs for three years and funds projects at roughly €1 million to €1.2 million each. Consortia must bring together 4 to 6 research units from different universities, public research bodies, or AFAM institutions, and the 2026 rules also allow non-affiliated researchers and young scholars to join consortia. A 15 percent quota is reserved for principal investigators under 40 at the publication date, which makes the call unusually open to emerging leaders for a program of this size. PRIN is strongest when a team can combine multiple institutions around a sharply defined research question and show a credible division of labour. The evaluation structure follows the three ERC-style panels for life sciences, physical sciences and engineering, and social sciences and humanities, with CINECA handling the application platform. In practice, this is the route for coordinated academic groups that can deliver a national research agenda over a three-year timetable.

No upcoming rounds verified. Cadence: Annual.