Research Quality Assessment (VQR)

2020-2024 VQR call

With ANVUR Decree No. 8 of 31 October 2023, the Call for the Research Quality Assessment Exercise VQR2020–2024 (VQR 4) was published. The exercise is aimed at assessing the outcomes of scientific research and Third Mission activities whose impact occurred during the 2020–2024 period.

The University submitted for assessment publications authored by Full and Associate Professors and Researchers (on both fixed-term and permanent contracts) employed by the University as of 1 November 2024.

VQR 4 introduced a new area of assessment compared with previous VQR exercises. Institutions were also required to submit information on projects funded through competitive international calls that were launched during the 2020–2024 period and whose Principal Investigator or local unit coordinator was a researcher affiliated with the Institution as of 1 November 2024. The relevant indicator is based on the amount of funding secured.

The VQR results were published by ANVUR in April 2026 and will be used to allocate the performance-based component of the Ordinary Financing Fund (FFO). In 2025, this component accounted for approximately 30% of the University’s overall allocation, 80% of which was distributed on the basis of the results of the 2015–2019 VQR.

VQR past assessments

The 2015-2019 VQR Assessment exercise was launched with Ministerial Decree 1110 of 29 November 2019, subsequently amended for the epidemiological emergency of COVID-19, by Decree 444 on August 11, 2020.
Alongside the evaluation of scientific production, the VQR 2015-2019 introduced a specific indicator dedicated to evaluating Third Mission activities: Ca' Foscari was required to present four case studies related to Third Mission activities (the number had to be half of that of the departments) with a verifiable impact during the period 2015-2019. The evaluation of the case studies was managed by a specific interdisciplinary GEV (Evaluation Expert Group).
The results of this third evaluation exercise were published in July 2022.

The 2011-2014 VQR Assessment exercise, concerning the years of publication 2011-2014, was launched with Ministerial Decree 458 of 27 June 2015 and its results were published in February 2017. Subsequently, Art. 1, Par. 339 of Law no 232 of 11 December 2016 established the five-year frequency of future evaluation exercises.

In addition to research products, the 2011-2014 VQR also involved additional research-related indicators: the ability of institutions to attract external resources based on competitive calls; superior education; mobility of employees among roles in the four year period. For information purposes, third mission activities, patent activities and spin-off companies were also considered.

Ca' Foscari was placed overall in third place in the ranking of state universities.

The first 2004-2010 Research Quality Assessment exercise, concerning the years of publication 2004-2010, was launched with Ministerial Decree 17 of 15 July 2011 and its results were published in February 2013.

The assessment also covered the ability of the institutions to attract external resources on the basis of competitive calls; international incoming and outgoing mobility of researchers; superior education and own resources used by the facility for research projects.

Last update: 24/08/2026