I have to dedicate the editorial article to the University world because of the Gelmini Bill which is going to become law starting the due course through the Italian Senate. The reform proposed by the Ministry is fed by good intentions since the meritocracy is the most important valuation criteria both for the Universities and for the personnel/teachers recruitment. The merit, instead of the seniority, will be at the basis of the progresses in the carrier of the academic personnel. In the past the scientific research was much more supported by funds, therefore it is obvious that the current insufficiency of resources available brings to the need of attentively selecting among the research projects and among the Universities for rewarding only the virtuous realities.
Among the reform intentions that situation should favour the competitiveness among the several Universities which will have to improve their services in terms of didactics and of research for attracting an always increasing number of students and of private companies willing to invest.
There is a positive news regarding the possibility to refer to a sort of tenure track, which means the possibility to recruit the researchers with a limited time contract for two three-years periods, and then to promote them later on to some associates if they get their qualifications by the second three-years period. That system stimulates the researcher to work hard for an average period of time in order to get some advantages for his education and for the University he belongs to.
The reform proposed by the Ministry is in any case very complex since it involves also the University governance, the control of the balance sheets, the juridical state of the teachers, etc. That global revolution makes me perplexed because of the different interests involved: it will be necessary to see the changes which will be performed during the parliamentary procedure in order to be able to give a final judgement.
I think that we are in front of a ‘turn of the screw’ which will bring to a generational change in the University world with many advantages in particular for the young Academics: we are aware it was necessary to radically do some changes in order to be at the same level of the other European Universities.
Cordially and professionally