Research Fellows' Rights and Duties

The research fellowship cannot be conferred to:

Individuals enrolled in degree courses, master’s or graduate degree courses, in PhD with scholarships or in medical schools, university masters and holding others research fellowship either in Italy or abroad.

Employees of public administrations, even if in a part-time contract; were such the case, the worker will be placed on a leave from work without grants.

Anyone who has a degree of kinship or affinity, up to the fourth degree of kinship, with a professor of the academic department conferring the research fellowship, with the Rector, with the General Director or with any member of the Board of Directors.

Permanent staff of universities, institutions and public research bodies, of the National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA) and of the Italian Space Agency (ASI), as well as of institutions whose degree of scientific completion has been deemed equivalent to the title of research graduate under article 74, clause 4, DPR 382/1980.

Individuals enjoying scholarships except for those granted by Italian or foreign institutions that serve to complete the activity research of the researcher with a stay abroad.

The Research Fellowship Holder is required to submit, when signing the contract, a declaration form under D.P.R. 445/2000 certifying the absence of incompatible issues and eventual enjoyed grants.

To carry out either external or internal duty, to attend a university master or for any other occasional external activity it is necessary, upon positive consultation with the Research Fellowship Holder’s supervisor, the authorization of the Director of the academic department that grants the research fellowship.
The obligation to fulfill one’s own research tasks and the respect of the rules set by any external financing bodies remain unchanged.

The tax and social security policy of the research fellowship is determined by article 22, clause 6, law 240/2010 (also known as "Gelmini law"). The payment is tax-free (article 4, law 476/84 and further modifications)

The social security policy is set by Article 22, Clause 6, Law 240/2010 (also known as “Gelmini Law”). In particular, it determines that it is subject to the INPS ) under the so-called “Gestione Separata” (article 2, clause 25 law 335/95 and further modifications). The fee is partly withheld from the Research Fellowship Holder (1/3 of the grant gross amount) and it is partly at the expense of the university/research body (2/3).
Registering to the Gestione Separata INPS is compulsory and must be done by the Research Fellowship Holder exclusively on the INPS website
Registering to Gestione Separata INPS is also compulsory for those Research Fellowship Holders who are already registered to another insurance scheme; the Research Fellowship Holder will also have to verify with his/her job category insurance any eventual issue of incompatibility that could result in the suspension/temporary cancellation from the social insurance (for example, if the person is registered to Inarcassa).

The research fellowship is certified by the CU (Single Certification) model, even though it is a tax-exempt income. The compensation is shown in the tax-exempt income section and in the contributory section of coordinated and continuous collaborations (termed in Italian as co.co.co.).
As a tax-exempt income, the research fellowship should not be included in the income statement (730 model or Single Model, in Italian respectively Modello 730 and Modello Unico) and the relative fees, while compulsory, cannot be included in the "deductible charges" (termed in Italian as “oneri deducibili”) section of the same declaration.
On the other hand, the research fellowship is to be included in the ISEE statement or in other statements submitted for any form of income support.
The CU model is issued by fiscal account department within the statutory deadline (as of now, within March, 31 for year 2020 and within March, 16 from year 2021, considering the year following the payment).
Any eventual copy of the CU model can be directly requested by sending an email to this address: fiscale@unitn.it

The research activity and the research fellowship have to be interrupted for any sick leave of more than 30 consecutive days in one year, without prejudice to the regular contract expiry date (which, therefore, cannot be extended).
The Research Fellowship Holder must also promptly report the sickness state to the administration and accounting services of the academic department and to the scientific supervisor, attaching to the report the medical certificate attesting the sickness state.
It is to be clarified to the Research Fellowship Holders are subject to the rules provided by article 1, clause 788 of law 296/2006, relating to the payment of INPS’ sickness benefit, to the timeframe of availability and to the control of the sickness state.
It does not constitute a suspension an overall period of unjustified leave inferior to 30 days in a year.

The research activity and the research fellowship must be interrupted in case of injury; the contract is not liable to extension and will therefore keep its regular expiry date.
The Research Fellowship Holder is to send within three days the medical certificate to the administration and accounting services of the academic department and to the scientific supervisor.
Any eventual extension of injury is to be promptly communicated.

Mandatory abstention:

It constitutes the five-month period in which the Research Fellowship Holder has the right to take leave from work in case of pregnancy and adoption or because of adopting/obtaining custody of a child.
The Research Fellowship Holder must report to the administration and accounting services of the academic department and to the scientific supervisor the presumed date of childbirth, by presenting the specific medical certificate before the seventh month of pregnancy.

Early abstention:

In case of a serious health risk to her or to the unborn child, the Research Fellowship Holder has the right to early abstention from work before the seventh month of pregnancy by submitting the medical certificate issued by gynecologist of the National Health Service (SSN).
During the maternity leave, the contract will be interrupted and no payment will be received from the university.
The expiry date of the contract will be extended for the leave period duration, as long as within the research project deadline.

• Maternity allowance:

Before the compulsory maternity leave begins, the Research Fellowship Holder is required to submit the medical certificate and the application form for maternity allowance, so long as she meets the expected requirements (at the least three monthly payments must be credited in the twelve months preceding the maternity period) to the INPS department in charge.
At the end of compulsory leave, the Research Fellowship Holder must submit to the administration and accounting services of the relative center the certification attesting the payment received by the INPS.
For further information, please see the section on the INPS website.

• Parental Leave:

It is also possible to request a further optional 3-month leave within the child’s first year. The parental leave entails the temporary interruption of the contract (for the leave period) and no payment will be given by the university.

On the basis of the leave period, the contract expiry will be extended accordingly, so long as it is within the project deadline.
If the individual is in possession of the necessary requirement, INPS will provide the parental leave allowance.

Research Fellowship Holders who are mothers or fathers, adoptive or trusted ones as well, are also entitled to parental leave as “project workers and related categories” registered to the INPS.

The contract rescission can be exercised any time and in accordance with the contract by either party, the Research Fellowship Holder or the university.
The Research Fellowship Holder can rescind the contract with notice of at least 30 days sent by delivery recorded letter.
The university is entitled to terminate the contract in cases listed below:

For an occurred impossibility of performance (major force);

For serious and relevant contractual breach from the Research Fellowship Holder, under the condition that the academic supervisor reported to the Manager of the academic department of reference;

Yes, there are. Unemployment benefits are provided through the so-called DIS-COLL, which is a national social security tool required by article 15-bis, D. Lgs. no. 22/2015, modified by L. no. 81/2017, article 7.
The DIS-COLL is monthly paid for a number of months corresponding to half the number of months of contributive fees paid starting from January 1 of the year preceding the work termination.

For those who were born before January 1 1978 it is also possible to request the so-called “Reddito di Attivazione al Lavoro” (REAL, literally “Income for Work Activation”).
This is a social security tool created by the Autonomous Province of Trento in accordance with deliberation no. 2363/2017. It is paid once for a three-year period. (suspended by January 1, 2020)

The requirements to obtain the DIS-COLL are as follows:

• To be exclusively registered to Gestione Separata INPS
• To not have registered any VAT registration number (partita IVA)
• To be unemployed at the moment of the request
• To have been credited at least three months of contributive fees for the period going from January 1 of the year preceding the work termination

The procedure to request the DIS-COLL is as follows:

• Subscribing the Statement of Immediate Availability to Work (Dichiarazione di Immediata Disponibilità al lavoro, DID).
• Contacting the job center (in Italian, Centro per l’Impiego) within 15 days from the DID.
• Subscribing the customized agreement of service (Patto di Servizio Personalizzato)
• Submitting the DIS-COLL request within 68 days from the termination of the last contract, either on the INPS website or by calling the Contact Center.

For further information, please enter the INPS website

This option has been interrupted by January 1, 2020 – Pending for updates from the Autonomous Province of Trento
The REAL is composed by two quotas: a set of training vouchers to ensure a smoother job reintegration and an amount of money as a reward for re-hiring.

The requirements to obtain the first REAL quota are as follows:

• To have been born before January 1 1978
• To be resident in Trentino
• To not have been working in the 5 months following the DID subscription; if working as an employee, such job must not pass the 29-consecutive days.

The requirements to obtain the second REAL quota, besides the abovementioned ones, are as follows:

• To have been rehired within 11 months from the DID subscription
• In the case of an employee with a permanent contract, to have a net monthly salary not exceeding € 2,000.00

In case of rehiring, after having worked for 90 days as an employee within 6 months (even when not continuous or with more contracts) or after € 3,000.00 self-employment income, it is possible to request the settlement of the second quota.

For further info, please enter the website of the Job Agency of Trento (in italian the so-called “Agenzia del Lavoro”) , or personally contact the job center in charge for your residence area or at the toll-free number 800 264 760.

The request for a certification, either by the Research Fellowship Holder or to other universities/bodies, of the activity performed must be submitted to the administration and accounting services (in italian, Servizi Amministrativi-Contabili) of the academic structure.