Italy

The political level for R&D policies is the Parliament and the Council of Ministries. The highest level of Science and Technology policy coordination is with the Inter-Ministry Committee for Economic Planning (CIPE). 

At operational level, the Ministry for Education, University and Research (MIUR) coordinates national and international scientific activities, distributes funding to universities and research agencies, and establishes the procedures for funding public and private research, and technological development. The Ministry of Economic Development (MISE) supports and manages industrial innovation. Other Ministries manage research funding in their specific fields.

There are two bodies with advisory tasks:

• National University Council (CUN) - responsible for proposals and consultancy on academic curricula and recruitment;
• National Agency for the Evaluation of the University and the Research - responsible for the quality assessment of the activities carried out by universities and research institutes, recipients of public funding.

The National Research Council (CNR) is the largest scientific public organisation of Italy and its duty is to carry out, promote, spread, transfer and improve research activities in the main sectors of knowledge growth and of its applications for the scientific, technological, economic and social development of the Country.

Transport policy is developed and implemented by the Ministry of Infrastructures and Transports. 

Transport research is funded through the general research framework and through programmes dedicated to transport. To promote larger R&D investment and to stimulate R&D projects in the private sector, the Italian State supports companies through grants and loans. These include the Fund for Applied Research managed by the Ministry for Education, University and Research, and the Fund for Technological Innovation managed by the Ministry of Productive Activities.