Six Unifi projects among the winners of the Italian Fund for Science

Six projects presented by the University of Florence are among the winners of the Italian Fund for Science (FIS 2), the call promoted by the Ministry of University and Research (MUR) to encourage the development of fundamental research. The call focuses on the three macro-sectors defined by the European Research Council (ERC): Social Sciences and Humanities, Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Information and Communication, Engineering, Universe and Earth Sciences, and Life Sciences.

UniFi's projects stood out among 118 national submissions, underscoring the superior quality of research conducted by the University of Florence across all three ERC macro-sectors.

The FIS call aims to support projects of high scientific value with an interdisciplinary, innovative and pioneering approach in three categories:

• Starting Grants (SG): for emerging researchers;
• Consolidator Grants (CG): for career researchers;
• Advanced Grants (AG): aimed at established researchers.

In detail, the six award-winning projects of the University of Florence comprise five Starting Grants (each projected to receive funding of EUR 1.320 million) and one Consolidator Grant (which will be allocated resources totalling EUR 1.655 million).Their selection from 118 national proposals - divided into 77 SGs, 20 CGs and 21 AGs - once again underlines UniFi's ability to stand out in the Italian scientific research landscape, making significant contributions in every disciplinary field.

With this achievement, explains Rector Alessandra Petrucci, the University of Florence reaffirms its role as a leader in fundamental research and in the development of cutting-edge projects. The outcomes of the FIS call for proposals highlight the University of Florence's consistent dedication to enhancing research quality and development, providing innovative solutions to meet current challenges'.

The winning projects

'PERSEASTENT - Pioneering Limitless Endurance for Next-Generation Marine Robotics', coordinated by Alessandro Ridolfi of the Department of Industrial Engineering (DIEF), in the field of Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Information And Communication, Engineering, Universe And Earth Sciences (Consolidator Grant).

'In Silico Prototypes for Addressable and Scalable Molecular Quantum Gates', coordinated by Matteo Briganti of Department of Chemistry "Ugo Schiff" (DICUS), in the field of Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Information And Communication, Engineering, Universe And Earth Sciences (Starting Grant).

'schWann cell and hOrMone ActioN in gender PAIN', coordinated by Francesco De Logu of the Department of Health Sciences (DSS), in the Life Sciences field (Starting Grant).

'Spin control through chirality: novel routes in organic optoelectronics', coordinated by Alberto Privitera of Department of Industrial Engineering  (DIEF), in the field of Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Information And Communication, Engineering, Universe And Earth Sciences (Starting Grant).

'Media, Audiences and Emotions in Driving Immigration News Avoidance', coordinated by Donatella Selva of the Department of Political and Social Sciences (DSPS), in the Social Sciences and Humanities field (Starting Grant).

'Benchtop NMR: translating metabolomics from high-tech laboratories to point-of-care Diagnostics', coordinated by Alessia Vignoli of the Department of Chemistry "Ugo Schiff" (DICUS), in the Life Sciences field (Starting Grant).