During a visit to the National Institute of Nuclear Physics (Infn) in Gran Sasso on Wednesday, Prime Minister Mario Draghi revealed that the national recovery and resilience plan will spend more than €30 billion in education and research.
“We want to support and facilitate your work, without interference, at least in my case,” Draghi told researchers. “I am willing to create the economic and cultural conditions for you to design and grow. Facilitate international collaborations, of which these laboratories are a virtuous example. And promote a culture of merit,” he added.
Italy will get €68.9 billion in grants and €122.6 billion in loans as part of the national recovery plan. For the time being, Italy and the Commission have agreed on a plan that includes 132 investments and 58 reforms, with 37.5 percent going toward climate goals and 25.1 percent going toward digital transition.
“These workers are the concrete effect, a lasting and fruitful investment as always happens when investing in science. The experiments were selected and chosen through a public process in scientific committees. A fundamental comparative evaluation with the ability to choose projects is an Infn’s excellence,” said Giorgio Parisi, the Italian 2021 Nobel Prize winner for Physics.
Italy has not made substantial expenditures in education, higher education, or research in the recent two decades. According to Eurostat data from December 2021, Italy invests the least on education, which includes obligatory schooling, universities, educational services, and other sorts of training.
For example, Italy spent 8% of its public spending in this area in 2019, placing it second to last after Greece (8.3%), and significantly below the EU average of 10%.
