The Free University of Bozen-Bolzano has published its 2025 Research Report, providing an overview of the University's scientific activities over the past year and showcasing the achievements of its five Faculties and eight Competence Centres through research projects, international collaborations, and knowledge transfer initiatives.

In 2025, unibz secured €20.1 million in third-party funding and managed 129 new research projects, representing growth of around 40% compared to the previous year. The most notable increase was in European and international funding, which reached €13.3 million, up 116% from 2024. Funding programmes including Horizon Europe, ERDF, Erasmus+, Interreg and the European Partnerships strengthened the University's presence within Europe's leading research networks, confirming unibz's ability to compete successfully in the most prestigious international funding schemes.

Among the year's most significant developments was the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano's entry in the SUNRISE Alliance, the European University Alliance bringing together nine small and medium-sized universities committed to innovation, sustainability and the development of non-metropolitan regions. At the same time, the University further strengthened its role within the Horizon Europe European Partnerships, collaborative initiatives involving universities, public institutions, and businesses to advance research on strategic topics such as biodiversity, the agroecological transition and sustainable food systems.

The Report also highlights the growing scientific impact of research conducted at unibz. In 2025, publications affiliated with the University received 46,081 citations in the Scopus database, the leading international database used to assess the visibility and impact of scientific research. Meanwhile, the share of scientific publications available through Open Access rose to 56.7%, underscoring the University's commitment to open, accessible and internationally recognised research.

The year also brought several important academic distinctions. These include the third-place ranking among Italian universities for Economics in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject, the appointment of Professor Marco Montali as a EurAI Fellow 2025  – one of Europe's highest honours in Artificial Intelligence – and numerous awards received by unibz researchers in the fields of social sciences, sustainability, linguistics and mountain agriculture.

Alongside its research activities, the Report illustrates an extensive programme of Third Mission initiatives designed to strengthen engagement between the University and society. From the STEM School for secondary school students to Science Live, the event that brings research beyond the laboratory and attracted more than 500 visitors in 2025, as well as projects focusing on occupational safety, active ageing, health research and unibz's first international cooperation initiative in Rwanda, the University continues to demonstrate its commitment to turning research into a driver of social development and positive societal impact.

"A university's research should not be measured solely by the funding it secures, but by its ability to generate knowledge that creates value for society," said Tanja Mimmo, Vice Rector for Research and Innovation. "The results achieved in 2025 show that unibz has become firmly established within European research networks while maintaining strong ties with its local community. It is precisely this balance between international engagement and local impact that represents our greatest strength."

The 2025 Research Report is available on the unibz website and presents data, achievements and in-depth insights into the University's main research projects developed over the past year.