Liguria, 14 new PhD scholarships funded by the European Social Fund Plus: fourth window 2025 closed

Genova. It closes with fully positive outcome the fourth and final window for the funding of three-year PhD scholarships promoted by the Liguria Region with the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) 2021-2027. The residual resources, equal to approximately 900mila euros, have made it possible to finance 14 new scholarships at the University of Genoa.

The initiative includes a path divided into three previous time windows, which between the 2022 and 2024 have made available a total of 6 million euros to finance three-year doctoral scholarships. The fourth window, activated 2 from May to June 3 2025, represented a new opportunity to enhance the high postgraduate training and strengthen the link between the university and the productive world, through the full use of the residual available resources.

“We have managed to invest all available resources to support highly specialized courses that strengthen advanced skills, with a direct impact on the employment prospects of young researchers – declare the regional councillor for the University Simona Ferro and the councillor for Fse Programming Marco Scajola –. This measure is part of a long-term strategy for the valorization of advanced training, the strengthening of applied research and the creation of new connections between universities and businesses, with the aim of increase the competitiveness of the Ligurian territory and train highly qualified professionals in the most innovative and technological sectors”.

The 14 bags financed cover a broad spectrum of strategic areas for the development of research and innovation, both at regional and national level. The sectors involved include Artificial Intelligence applied to robotics, civil, chemical and environmental engineering, European studies and digital humanities. There is no shortage of areas of great scientific relevance such as marine sciences, physics and nanosciences, as well as issues related to the safety, risk and vulnerability of infrastructures.

Other projects concern the bioengineering, applied mathematics, neuroscience, computer science and systems engineering, up to and including the valorization of historical, artistic and archaeological heritage. The picture is completed by pediatric sciences and technologies for electronic and telecommunications engineering. These are areas that not only reflect the priorities of the territory, but also respond to the great challenges of innovation, sustainability and health.

All the projects submitted were deemed admissible and entered into the final ranking. Each bag has a value of approximately 64 thousand euros and requires the mandatory involvement of a company, operating in a field consistent with the research project. The ranking can be consulted on the Regione Liguria website.