by InTrieste
Universities across Friuli Venezia Giulia will be able to recruit new staff after Italy’s Ministry of University and Research allocated its annual “punti organico,” the staffing quota system that determines how many employees public universities are authorized to hire.
The allocation is based on a virtual points system, in which a full professor is worth one point, an associate professor 0.7 and other academic and administrative positions carry proportionate values. The quotas are influenced by staff turnover and the financial health of each institution.
The University of Trieste received 20.84 staffing points, while the University of Udine was allocated 20.25. Both universities were granted a 75 percent turnover rate, allowing them to recruit more personnel than those who have left through retirement or other departures.
Despite the increased capacity, Trieste does not expect to use all of its available points. Rector Donata Vianelli said the university lacks the funding to cover every authorized position and expects to activate roughly half of the allocation, meaning not all retiring staff will be replaced.
In Udine, the focus is on long-term workforce planning. Pro-Rector Giorgio Alberti said the university anticipates a significant wave of retirements by 2031 and will prioritize the recruitment of technical and administrative personnel in the coming years.
The ministry also announced an expansion of student accommodation across the region through its PNRR-funded Housing Plan. A total of 866 new student beds will be available this academic year, including 473 in the province of Trieste, 313 in Udine and 80 in Gorizia. A further 91 beds are expected to open next year.
