Università degli Studi di Genova  (UniGe) – Unit 1

Prof. Marco Di Giulio (Principal Investigator)
Dr. Francesco Baraldi (until 31/07/2025)
Dr. Mattia Sguazzini

Università degli Studi di Bergamo (UniBG) -  precedentemente Università Mercatorum – Unit 2

Prof. Paola Coletti (Associated Investigator)

Università degli Studi di Bologna (UniBo) – Unit 3

Prof. Francesco Niccolò Moro (Associated Investigator)
Dr. Stella Blumfelde
Dr. Cecilia Ducci (until )
Dr. Claudio Christopher Passalacqua

 Università degli Studi di Macerata (UniMC) – Unit 4

prof. Andrea Prontera (Associated Investigator)

Summary of Research Activities

The project is structured into three core Milestones, each comprising specific activities and coordinated by one or more Units:

• Milestone 1 – Regulation and the National Interest  | Institutions | Units 1, 2, 3 & 4
  • Activity 1: Literature review on the concept of the National Interest (Unit 1 – Di Giulio, Coticchia).
  • Activity 2: Mapping and comparative dataset of regulatory tools for the protection of critical infrastructures and supply chains across EU member states and the UK (Units 1–2 – Di Giulio, Coletti).
    → Main outputs: conceptual framework paper; dataset on regulatory instruments; working papers on FDI screening mechanisms and varieties of ISM regulation.
• Milestone 2 – The politics of the NI: the case of Energy security and AI | Politics | Units 1, 2, 3 & 4
  • Activity 3 – National strategies for Energy security through the lenses of discourse and content analysis: The cases of Germany, France, Italy and the UK – Units 3 & 4
  • Activity 4 – National strategies for Artificial Intelligence through the lenses of discourse and content analysis: The cases of Germany, France, Italy and the UK – Units 1, 2 & 3

• Milestone 3 – Designing policies for the NI in Italy: the role of public opinion and experts | Policy | Units 1, 2 & 3

  • Activity 5. Public perceptions of international threats to national CISC and policy attitudes – Units 1, 2 & 3

  • Activity 6. Towards sustainable and feasible AI national strategy: A policy Delphi – Units 1, 2 & 3
    → Main outputs: design of a Policy Delphi survey, ethical approval process (University of Genoa), forthcoming analysis on the governance of dual-use research and scientific security in Italy.

The project’s methodological pluralism combines institutional analysis, discourse and content analysis, quantitative survey experiments, and participatory foresight methods.

To date, over ten research papers have been produced or submitted to international journals, covering areas such as investment screening, export control, cybersecurity, AI regulation, and energy policy. 

We are pleased to present a structured survey based on the Policy Delphi method on the topic of Research Security, conducted within the framework of the project “Recasting the national interest in Europe. Institutions, politics and policies for the defense of critical infrastructures and supply chains”, coordinated by Prof. Marco Di Giulio (University of Genoa) and funded through the PRIN–PNRR 2022 programme of the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR).

The need to address this issue arises from growing national and international attention to the protection of integrity, transparency, and security in research activities, within a context increasingly shaped by global interdependence, technological competition, and geopolitical risks.

In recent years, research security has emerged as a priority policy area, in response to threats such as the unintentional transfer of sensitive knowledge, improper access to critical infrastructures, and distortions in funding channels. Countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, Germany, and the Netherlands have already introduced tools to balance scientific openness with strategic protection.

At the European level, the European Research Area Policy Agenda 2022–2024 included the creation of a common framework for research security among its strategic priorities. In its communication “A new European Innovation Agenda”, the European Commission highlighted the need to mitigate technological risks, protect strategic assets, and strengthen due diligence in international scientific cooperation. In parallel, the growing attention to the regulation of dual-use goods and technologies, as well as to foreign investment screening mechanisms, has reinforced the urgency of developing protection mechanisms in the research sector as well.

In Italy, these developments have led the Ministry of University and Research to establish a Working Group on Research Security, tasked with outlining a national strategy.
Our study is part of this evolving landscape and aims to analyse the feasibility conditions of public policies, contributing to an empirically grounded and shared reflection among institutional, scientific, and industrial actors.

Structure of the Survey

The survey consists of two rounds:

1. First round: completion of a questionnaire addressing governance and risk management policies across three macro-areas of interest for Research Security;
2. Second round: participants will receive a summary report of the results and will be invited to complete a second short questionnaire to provide further assessments in light of the evidence collected.

The three macro-areas addressed in the first questionnaire (in line with those adopted by the MUR Working Group) are:

1. Research activities, including:
   • basic or fundamental research
   • applied or contract-based research (technologies and materials, commercial applications, access to databases)
2. External collaborations, including:
   • entities associated with public organizations outside the EU
   • entities associated with private organizations outside the EU
   • entities associated with private organizations within the EU
3. External funding, including:
   • public entities outside the EU
   • private entities outside the EU
   • private entities within the EU

For each sub-area, respondents will be asked to indicate the perceived level of risk.
If any risk (even minimal) is identified, the questionnaire will include three additional questions:

1. Which actors are considered relevant in the governance of Research Security;
2. The rationale for identifying these actors and the preferred forms of cooperation;
3. The regulatory, procedural, or organizational tools deemed most suitable for risk mitigation.

If no risk is perceived, respondents will not be required to answer the additional questions related to that sub-area.

Data Protection and Participation

All data collected will be processed in full compliance with current privacy and data protection regulations and will be presented in aggregated and anonymous form, ensuring the confidentiality of both participants and their responses.
The survey involves representatives from universities, public and private research institutions, and companies operating in Italy. The inclusion of multiple perspectives is crucial to provide a nuanced and empirically grounded understanding of the challenges and opportunities related to research security in the national context.

The Research Project

This survey is part of the project “Recasting the national interest in Europe. Institutions, politics and policies for the defense of critical infrastructures and supply chains”, funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR) under the PRIN–PNRR 2022 call.

• Principal Investigator: Prof. Marco Di Giulio (University of Genoa)
• Partner Units:
  • University of Bergamo – Prof. Paola Coletti
  • University of Bologna – Prof. Francesco Niccolò Moro
  • University of Macerata – Prof. Andrea Prontera

Further updates on the survey and its next stages will be published on this webpage.

In this section, you can find the events carried out within the Project. 

Recasting the National Interest in Europe – Workshop

Università degli Studi di Bologna, 27-28 January 2025

The workshop brought together scholars and experts to examine how national interests are being reshaped in Europe through evolving institutions, politics, and policies aimed at safeguarding critical infrastructures and supply chains. The first day focused on Investment Screening Mechanisms (ISMs), exploring their political drivers, economic implications, and the narratives shaping policymaking across different countries. The second day addressed economic security tools in the context of technological competition, covering emerging technology regulation, cybersecurity strategies, and comparative approaches to critical raw materials policy. 

Guest experts included Floor Doppen (University of Antwerp), Arlo Poletti (University of Trento), and Mattia Guidi (University of Siena).

Recasting the National Interest in Europe – Policy Dialogue

Università degli Studi di Bergamo, 12 November 2025 

The Policy Dialogue explored the sustainability challenges posed by the rapid expansion of digital infrastructures, particularly data centers, in the age of AI, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things. As global data demands surge, data centers are becoming strategic assets for the digital transition, yet their growing energy and water consumption raises significant environmental and regulatory concerns. The event examined how international, European, national, and local actors can balance innovation with environmental protection, and how regulation can support sustainable growth without overburdening stakeholders.

The first session addressed international and European regulatory perspectives on AI, data policy, and energy. Speakers discussed streamlining rules for AI development while safeguarding the environment, the evolving regulatory frameworks for AI–energy interactions, and the economic impacts of data center expansion.

The second session focused on regional and local governance, examining how municipalities, utilities, and industry actors manage the development of data centers on the ground. Discussions highlighted water consumption and cooling technologies, innovative industrial redevelopment models (such as Aruba’s hydropowered infrastructure), and regional regulatory frameworks designed to reduce administrative discretion and support sustainable economic growth.

Guest speakers included:

• Giuseppa Ottimofiore (OECD)

• Federico Milani (European Commission, DG CONNECT)

• Francesco Bonfiglio (Diagrammatica, former CEO Gaia-X/Dynamo)

• Luca Lo Schiavo (Energy Regulators Regional Association; former ARERA)

• Nicolò Serpella (The European House – Ambrosetti)

• Giacomo Angeloni (City of Bergamo)

• Pierangelo Bertocchi (Uniacque Bergamo)

• Fabio Mecio Corgiat (Confindustria Bergamo)

• Alessandro Bruschini (Aruba S.p.A.)

• (Regione Lombardia)

Recasting the National Interest in Europe – Final Event

Università degli Studi di Genova, 12-13 January 2026 
TBA