The Italian Science Fund (FIS) supports high-level research projects led by emerging researchers (Starting Grant), mid-career researchers (Consolidator Grant), and established researchers (Advanced Grant) in the fields covered by the European Research Council (ERC).

In its second edition, the program has allocated over 330 million euros, awarding significant funding—starting from 1.2 million euros—to projects submitted by Italian universities and research centers. The selection process has just concluded, with around 150 winning projects out of approximately 2,300 applications.

The results show that major universities secured a high number of projects (20 for La Sapienza in Rome, 11 for the University of Milan, and 9 each for the University of Naples Federico II and the University of Padua). However, only 12 universities won more than three projects, and IUSS is among the three institutions that secured exactly three—a remarkable achievement. In fact, when considering the percentage of winning projects relative to faculty and researchers, IUSS reaches approximately 7% compared to a national average of 0.5%.

The IUSS projects were led by young researchers who recently joined the institution:

• Gerard O'Reilly secured over 1.3 million euros for a Starting Grant on risk and security management in the built environment.
• Luca Zanetti obtained over 1.3 million euros for a Starting Grant focused on severe uncertainty.
• Silvia De Toffoli received 1.6 million euros for a Consolidator Grant on the philosophy of mathematical practice.

This investment in brilliant young researchers and transdisciplinary topics has placed IUSS at the top of the FIS2 program in terms of projects won relative to institutional size. The over 4 million euros in funding will enable our young researchers to contribute to the advancement of knowledge and society.