Companies and institutions can develop joint PhD training path and research activities with the University, working on issues of common interest. The National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) has allocated funds to support the launch of Phd Programmes with companies' contribution and involvement. Scholarships funded by companies are granted for a specific Phd Course as scholarships with "predefined research topic" and a company expert is allowed to become a member of the Board of Examiners  for the admission competition. 

Which are the steps to follow in order to fund a Phd scholarship?

a) express the intention to fund (fully or partially) a Phd scholarship with a letter of intent;

b) sign an agreement that regulates the relations between the University of Trieste and the company for the three-year period of the course length;

c) pay the scholarship amount in one lump or in three instalments.

The total gross amount of the funding is € 70.015,00 for the entire three-year period of the scholarship length. 

The minimum amount of the funding for the three-year grant is € 65.000 and it is subject to bank guarantee.

Additional funding for periods of research abroad is € 10.030,00 for a maximum of 12 months, which will be paid only if the period of study has actually been carried out and for activities that have been authorized by the supervisor. 

Companies or institutions that employ young talents within a PhD apprenticeship Programme are entitled to tax relief. The Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Economy and Finance support holders of business income by granting specifics tax benefits, set out in the Decree 30/15 (known as Patent Box), for the use of intellectual work, industrial invention patents and utility model, brands, technical-industrial designs and experiences protected by law. All the companies (regardless of their legal form and business size, economic sector and accounting system) willing to invest in research projects provided and governed by the University or public research bodies, can get tax benefits in the form of tax credit. The Ministry of Education, University and Research can also grant a tax relief of € 7.500 for the employment of young researcher. According to the Testo Unico delle Imposte sui Redditi, donations made to the University or university foundations can be deducted from the total income as long as they cannot be deducted from each income that contributes to form the total income. Furthermore, donations made to legal persons that pursue research purposes can be deducted within 2% of the stated business income.

Companies that fund and employ a PhD student in collaboration with the University of Trieste benefit from the protective service and enhancement of the intellectual property resulting from the research carried out by the PhD student with other bodies and companies, both public and private, through confidentiality agreements, deposit and supply of patents or licences. In this context, the PhD student plays a strategic role in supporting the business strategies and has the same confidentiality obligations and rights to access to the benefits resulting from enhancement activities.