Trentino Research Award for Young Researchers - 2026

By resolution of the Provincial Council no. 1656 of 16 September 2022, the Trentino Prize for Research was established as an incentive for excellence in research and in view of the importance of the research and innovation system for the development of the territory, with
the intention, at the same time, of communicating and disseminating the results of research to a wide and non-specialist public, thus increasingly reducing the distance between the world of research and citizenship, and at the same time approved the call for entries "Premio Trentino per la Ricerca - Giovani ricercatrici e ricercatori" (Trentino Prize for Research - Young researchers).

With the resolution no. 755 of 25 May 2026 the Provincial Government proposes to activate the 2026 edition of the above-mentioned Trentino Prize for Research, aimed at young female researchers aged 35 and under, and to approve the call for applications "Trentino Prize for Research - Young researchers - Edition 2026" as attached, which is an integral and substantial part of this measure, aimed in particular at pursuing the following goals

• torecognise and valorise the excellence of the research activity carried out by deserving young female researchers, belonging to provincial research bodies or national research bodies present in the province, as well as to promote the growth of human capital in scientific research
• highlight the relevance of the impact of research carried out in Trentino and its spin-offs as a driver of social and economic development;
• promote synergy between scientific, humanistic and artistic disciplines, enhancing a STEAM approach;
• encourage the dissemination of science also to a non-specialist public in order to reduce the distance between citizens and the world of research.

The Trentino Prize for Research for Young Researchers - Edition 2026 is divided into two phases

1. in the first phase, aimed at assessing scientific excellence, three (3) prizes for each ERC panel (referred to below) will be awarded to a total of nine (9) female researchers selected following the evaluation of all the applications received and considered eligible. The amount of the prizes shall be respectively:
   
   1st place - euro 5,000.00
   2nd place - euro 3,000.00
   3rd place - euro 2,000.00
   
2. in the second phase, the 9 winners of the first phase will compete for the award of one (1) prize for the dissemination of science in the amount of euro 1,000.00.

The prizes will be awarded following the evaluation of the research activity, duly described and documented by the candidate when submitting the application, the topic of which must be related to one of the areas envisaged by the three disciplinary scientific panels of the European Research Council (ERC), namely:

• Physical Sciences and Engineering;
• Life sciences;
• Social Sciences and Humanities.

This call for applications is activated pursuant to Article 17, paragraph 2 bis, of the Provincial Law of 2 August 2005, no. 14 (Provincial Research Law) and in compliance with the general lines of action outlined in the Multiannual Research Programme for the 16th Legislature, approved by Resolution of the Provincial Council no. 2193 of 22 December 2020.

The awards will be made only to natural persons and are aimed at researchers aged no more than 35 years, who hold a PhD (PhD) degree or a specialisation diploma in the health area or are enrolled in a PhD course/school and who
have been conducting research activities in Trentino for at least one year at a research organisation or public institutions carrying out research as part of the provincial research and innovation system.

Research activities may also be conducted at research organisations of a national or international nature, provided that they have centres, branches, sections or laboratories permanently located in Trentino province for at least three years.

To apply for the call for applications, you must

• complete the required forms available in the 'forms' section at the bottom of this page
• attach a 16-euro revenue stamp to the application form or indicate the unique telematic code, date and time of issue of the revenue stamp

• send the application form including all required documents by e-mail (regular mail or pec) to the following e-mail address

  serv.industriaricercaminerario@pec.provincia.tn.it

  from Wednesday 3 June 2026 until 13:00 (Italian time) on Monday 14 September 2026.

  Any extensions of the final deadline shall be approved by a determination of the manager of the Service responsible for research.

AWARDING AND DISBURSEMENT OF THE PRIZES

The prizes for scientific excellence shall be awarded by the Committee for Research and Innovation (CRI), possibly with the support of external experts, while the awarding of the prize for the popularisation of science shall be carried out by a jury, which shall be appointed by the Director of the Service for Industry, Research and Mining with a subsequent decision, comprising a member chosen from among the members of the Committee for Research and Innovation (as Chairman), a member indicated by the Fondazione Hub Innovazione Trentino and a member indicated by the Autonomous Province of Trento. The jury operates at no cost to the provincial budget.

The prizes will be awarded during a final public event organised by the Industry, Research and Mining Service, at the MUSE in the year 2026.

The following documents must be submitted in order to participate in the call:

A) application form, completed and signed, using the "Application Form - Research Award 2026" downloadable below and to be submitted in pdf format;

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B) a description, in Italian or English, of a single research activity carried out by the candidate and deemed most representative of his/her research interests or of the research activity/topic addressed during the PhD course or undertaken after obtaining the PhD degree or specialisation diploma. The subject of the research activity described must be related to one of the areas covered by the three disciplinary scientific panels of the European Research Council (ERC), namely:

● Physical sciences and engineering;
● Life sciences;
● Social sciences and humanities.

It is also required to indicate, for the chosen panel, one or more sub-panels to which the research activity/theme refers by selecting both panels and sub-panels from the list published by the European Commission ( link to sub-panels document)

The description must be drawn up in accordance with the template "Research Activity Description - Research Award 2026", which can be downloaded below and submitted in pdf format;

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C) short curriculum vitae et studiorum in Italian or English in Europass format;

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D) a graphic poster in which the candidate represents the results of his/her research in an innovative, effective and comprehensible way for a non-specialist audience. It should be noted that the graphic poster requested must be a visual communication of the research, aimed at summarising its contents in a creative and accessible manner, thus distinguishing it from the classic academic-type scientific poster.

The poster must have the following minimum characteristics
● size 70x100;
● use of pictorial, digital or hybrid graphic techniques;
● it must not contain explicit advertising messages or offensive or violent content.

The candidate guarantees full compliance with current legislation on the protection of personal data and industrial and intellectual property rights. The exclusive ownership of the poster and the relative rights of economic exploitation are understood to be transferred to the Autonomous Province of Trento.
The graphic poster must be sent in JPG or PNG digital format, with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi.

The graphic poster created must be uploaded onto a cloud platform of the candidate's choice and the relative free-access download link must be communicated with the application form. The file must be accessible and downloadable without the need for credentials, passwords or requests for authorisation;

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E) the release necessary for the reproduction of the graphic poster within the Province's premises and the use of the summary description of the research activity during the award ceremony, as well as for any subsequent dissemination actions, using the appropriate form "Release - Research Award 2026" downloadable below and to be transmitted in pdf format;

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F) a copy of an identity document in pdf format(if the application is signed with a handwritten signature);

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G ) (optional) maximum two academic letters of reference to be transmitted in pdf format.

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The application must be stamped with a 16.00 Euro revenue stamp or, in the case of a digital revenue stamp, the unique telematic code, date and time of issue must be indicated.

Failure to submit the elements required under letters a), b), c), d) and e) of paragraph 1 of this Article shall render participation in the tender inadmissible.

In the event of unsuitable or incomplete documentation relating to elements b) to g), the competent Service shall be requested to regularise or supplement the documentation submitted, which shall set the applicant a reasonable deadline of 10 natural consecutive days to do so. In the event of failure/irregularity in supplementing the documentation within this period, a further period of five consecutive natural days shall be allowed for regularisation. In the event of failure/irregular supplementation within this second deadline of the documents referred to in points b) to f), the application will be considered inadmissible.