20.09.2011 -
At a press conference this morning, Roberto Molinaro, Regional
Councillor for Education, Universities and Research and Enzo Moi,
Managing Director of AREA Science Park, presented the results of
the sixth "Mobility of Knowledge", a survey conducted by the
Coordination of Research Institutions (CER - Coordinamento degli
Enti di Ricerca del Friuli Venezia Giulia).
This 2010 data confirms and consolidates the Friuli Venezia
Giulia Region's attractiveness to foreign researchers and students.
The study shows that last year 3,453 foreign students and 10,111
foreign researchers studied or worked for varying periods of time
in one of the region's scientific institutions. In more detail,
4,123 foreign researchers have permanent positions in regional
research bodies and universities (almost half of the 8,301 in all
of Italy). Researchers and students come from around the world,
with a significant number originating from the European Union (900)
and Africa (850), and a growing number arriving from Asia and
Central and South America.
With respect to the relevant academic field, the predominant
sector for employed researchers (Italians included) is Science,
Mathematics and Computing, followed by Health and
Welfare and Humanities and Arts. The areas of study
that are of greatest interest to enrolled students (Italians
included) are Social Science and Business and
Law, followed by Humanities and Arts, Engineering,
Manufacturing and Construction and finally Health and
Welfare.
The survey, conducted for the first time in collaboration with
the National Committee for the Evaluation of the University System,
which is now part of the National Agency for the Evaluation of
Universities and Research Institutes, also mapped mobility data
relating to the regional universities. During the 2009-10 academic
year, foreign students represented 7% of the total number of
enrolled students in the region, which is well above the national
average of 3.3%.
In addition, for the second consecutive year, CER mapped the
gender distribution of all students and researchers, both Italian
and foreign, studying or working at the 28 institutions that took
part in the survey. Specifically, from the data collected on
students enrolled in universities, female students predominate -
especially for second level degrees - and account for 55.1% of the
total. This distribution changes significantly when looking at
employed researchers, where the number of women drops to 30.6% of
the total. This figure reflects the general situation in Europe and
confirms that women have greater difficulty in accessing
professional careers in the sciences.
The scientific and academic institutions that participated in
the "Mobility of Knowledge" survey are: The Abdus Salam
International Centre for Theoretical Physics - ICTP, Centro
Ricerche Plast-Optica S.p.A., CISM - International Centre for
Mechanical Sciences, CNR IC - Institute of Crystallography, CNR -
IOM Materials Workshop Institute, CNR - DEMOCRITOS Modelling
Center, Conservatory of Music "Giuseppe Tartini", Conservatory of
Music "Jacopo Tomadini", AREA Science Park, CRO - National Cancer
Institute, Centre for the Study of Liver Diseases - Italian Liver
Foundation NPO, Niccolò Canussio Foundation, ICGEB - The
International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology,
INAF-National Institute for Astrophysics-The Astronomical
Observatory of Trieste, INFN - National Institute for Nuclear
Physics, ICS-UNIDO-International Centre for Science and High
Technology, Institute for Maternal and Child Health - IRCCS Burlo
Garofolo, Scientific Institute "IRCCS E. Medea", ISIG -
International Sociology Institute of Gorizia, National Institute of
Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics - OGS, Keymec Mechanics
Innovation, Research and Training Centre, Science Centre
Immaginario Scientifico, ELETTRA Synchrotron Light Laboratory,
SISSA - International School for Advanced Studies, TWAS - The
Academy of Sciences for the Developing World, University of Trieste
and University of Udine.
The achievements of Welcome Office FVG, the regional help desk
for incoming international students and researchers, were also
presented at the press conference. During the first six months of
2011, Welcome Office FVG responded to 2,833 inquires, primarily for
information on study and work opportunities, housing, requirements
for entering and staying in Italy, health assistance, family
services and courses on Italian language and culture.
During the same period, there was a steady stream of requests
for information from national institutions, regional bodies and
partners, particularly with respect to entrance procedures (visas,
residence permits) and health assistance. The Welcome Office Friuli
Venezia Giulia internet portal was accessed 16,360 times since
January 2011 by users from 132 countries, particularly the United
States, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom, Turkey, India, Ukraine,
Argentina and Costa Rica.