The new Mobility of Knowledge survey is online: data from 2020 and academic year 2019/2020 available
Setback in scientific mobility due to the pandemic, however the activities were well attended thanks to remote instruction.
As could be expected, the pandemic also had an impact on mobility in the world of science; the 2020 lockdown and consequent reduction in movement at the national and international level resulted in a clear drop in the number of students, researchers and teachers spending long or short periods of time at the scientific institutions in Friuli Venezia Giulia.
Having been recognised for years as an attractive area at the international level for the quality of its research centres, Friuli Venezia Giulia experienced a drop in both incoming and outgoing mobility in 2020. With regard to the incoming figures, i.e. movement into Italy, there was a 25% drop in students and 86% drop in foreign researchers and teachers compared to the previous year. The setback recorded in outgoing numbers, i.e. Italian students and researchers who spend periods of work and study abroad, was less dramatic, with the data indicating that there was a 22% reduction in Italian students who went abroad, and a 37% reduction for teachers and researchers. On the other hand, the number of students registered with the regional universities, including foreign students, did not change significantly.
The data are certified by the Mobility of Knowledge 2021 (2020 data and academic year 19/20), an annual survey indicating the number of foreign teachers, researchers and students that spend long or short periods of time at the main research institutes, universities and conservatoires that form part of the Scientific and Innovation system of Friuli Venezia Giulia (SIS FVG*).
In a situation as complex as the pandemic which required continuous change, there were also some positive outcomes, one of which was optimisation of the use of the opportunities offered by the digital world. A high number of students and researchers, especially foreign, were able to take courses, summer schools and training activities organised by the SIS FVG entities on a remote basis. One example is the “Abdus Salam” International Centre of Theoretical Physics (ICTP) which manged to offset the incoming mobility numbers by almost 50% compared to pre-pandemic numbers thanks to digital activities.
SIS FVG entities already recorded a change in trends in the first half of 2021.
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*SIS FVG was established at the initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), the Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR) and the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia.