Higher education: FVG increasingly attractive to students and researchers

“Mobility of Knowledge” is the annual survey carried out by Area Science Park which, since 2005, has collected key data on students, researchers and professors belonging to the research institutions that are partners of the SiS FVG.

The survey records the number of foreign researchers and students present at partner research institutes, universities and conservatories, the incoming and outgoing mobility flows, gender differences, study interests and countries of origin. According to the 2025 edition, the presence of foreign individuals within the Friuli Venezia Giulia system — which includes enrolled students, researchers and professors of the institutions, as well as incoming mobility — has more than doubled in four years, rising from 4,407 in 2021 to 9,859 in 2024, strengthening the region’s role as an international scientific hub.

Students enrolled in regional universities and conservatories totalled 38,071, an increase of about 1,100 compared to the previous year. The number of foreign students also increased, rising from 7% to 8% of the total, amounting to 2,900 students. Incoming mobility includes 902 students, exceeding pre-pandemic levels, while outgoing mobility remains stable (1,062 students). Most enrolled students attend humanities and social sciences programmes (47%), followed closely by life sciences (29%) and technical-scientific disciplines (24%). Female students account for 57% of the total.

In 2024, researchers and professors working in SiS FVG institutions numbered 3,813, up from 3,641 the previous year. The proportion of women remains stable at 35%.

Incoming presences of foreign lecturers and researchers arriving in the region for a period — even a short one — of study or research at SiS FVG institutions amount to 5,252, showing a very slight decrease (around –180) compared to 2023, while remaining significant. The majority of these professionals (89%) work in the scientific fields of Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, ICT, and Earth and Universe Sciences.

Commenting on the results, the Regional Councillor for Labour, Training, Education, Research, University and Family, Alessia Rosolen, highlights how these trends confirm the effectiveness of regional actions supporting human capital:

“To support the growth and development of our territory, it is essential to invest in human capital and skills, promoting the mobility of knowledge. Only in this way can we successfully face the major transitions underway. For this reason, the Regional Administration has allocated substantial resources to student support and to the university and research systems of Friuli Venezia Giulia, with an allocation of over 41 million euros for the 2025–2027 period for infrastructure investments and to support the educational and professional paths of young researchers through PhD scholarships, research grants and researcher contracts.

These measures will be further strengthened thanks to the recent law on social innovation, with which we aim to enhance PhDs and research contracts in the fields of emerging and knowledge-intensive technologies. The 2025 Report produced by Area Science Park — concluded Rosolen — confirms that we are on the right path and that Friuli Venezia Giulia is becoming increasingly attractive thanks to a high-quality higher education and research system, numerous opportunities for growth and collaboration, and high levels of well-being.”

Access the interactive dashboard and download the data ➡️https://www.sisfvg.it/it/dashboard-mobilita-della-conoscenza/