As part of the Cultural Cooperation Agreement between the Government of the Italian Republic and the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) has launched the Italy–Germany 2026–2028 Call for Proposals.
The program supports joint research projects with the aim of facilitating access for Italian researchers to major German infrastructures and research centers offering advanced scientific facilities not available in Italy (e.g. European XFEL, FAIR-GSI, DFKI, MPI-IPP, EMBL).
Application process
Project proposals must be prepared jointly by an Italian and a German principal investigator. Submission is restricted to the Italian PI, exclusively via the MAECI portal (Progetti di Grande Rilevanza), no later than Monday, 30 June 2025 at 17:00 (CEST).
Each PI may submit only one proposal. The Italian PI must upload a signed Letter of Commitment from the German host institution, indicating the amount and type of co-funding guaranteed.
Funding
The maximum funding available from the Italian side is €400,000 per year, per project. This amount must include a mandatory co-funding of at least 50% of the total budget by the Italian PI’s institution. Co-funding may also cover personnel costs formally allocated to the project.
Pre-selection stage
As specified in Article 3.2 of the call, a Letter of Endorsement signed by the Rector will only be required in case of pre-selection by MAECI. In that case, the Italian PI must provide the Sapienza Scientific Cooperation and Networks Office with the following:
