Human Technopole has opened a new Call for Access to its National Facilities on 1 February 2026, offering researchers from Italy the opportunity to access cutting-edge technologies and expertise across the institute’s advanced research platforms.

The new call builds on strong interest recorded in previous rounds. From the pilot calls, closed on 31 December 2024  and throughout 2025, Human Technopole received a total of 430 access applications, with 239 projects granted access following scientific evaluation. The number of submitted applications increased from 124 in 2024 to 306 in 2025, corresponding to a growth of nearly 147% year on year.

Applications covered a broad range of research areas and made use of all available National Facilities, confirming the growing demand for integrated, high-level technological support in the life sciences.

Success rates by call

• 2024 Pilot calls (24-PILOT): 124 proposals, 102 approved (82% success rate)
• 2025 First call (25-ROUND-1): 169 proposals, 82 approved (49% success rate)
• 2025 Second call (25-ROUND-2): 137 proposals, 55 approved (40% success rate)

Breakdown of approved projects by Facility

Since the pilot calls in 2024, the overall participation demonstrates sustained interest in all technology platforms, with Genomics leading demand:

• Genomics: 108 approved (45.2% of total approved projects)
• Structural Biology: 67 approved (28.0%)
• Light Imaging: 23 approved (9.6%)
• Genome Engineering & Disease Modelling: 24 approved (10.0%)
• Data Handling & Analysis: 17 approved (7.1%)

Regional distribution

Since the launch of the National Facilities in mid-June, the calls attracted submissions from across Italy, with healthy engagement from all regions. Lombardy was the leading region in all rounds, followed by Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, Lazio and Tuscany

• North: 351 applications (81.6% of total)
• Centre: 44 applications (10.2% of total)
• South: 35 applications (8.1% of total)

Gender balance and researchers’ profile

The cumulative data confirm an overall gender balance in participation, with women representing 51.8% of unique applicants:

• Female PIs: 173 unique applicants (51.8%)
• Male PIs: 161 unique applicants (48.2%)

Notably, the programme continues to attract both established and emerging researchers, with 35.3% of proposals led by Junior PIs, confirming support for the next generation of scientific leaders.

Distribution by scientific area

Looking at the overall distribution of the proposals by scientific area highlights the diversity of research supported by the National Facilities:

• Cancer: 152 applications (35.3%)
• Other (human biology, cell biology): 60 applications (14.0%)
• Neurodegenerative disorders: 39 applications (9.1%)
• Human diseases: 32 applications (7.4%)
• Genetic disease: 24 applications (5.6%)
• Neuromuscular diseases: 23 applications (5.3%)
• Developmental disorders: 22 applications (5.1%)
• Infectious diseases and pathogen regulation: 20 applications (4.7%)
• Cardiovascular diseases: 14 applications (3.3%)
• Plant studies: 14 applications (3.3%)
• Evolutionary animal studies: 10 applications (2.3%)
• Inflammation and inflammatory diseases: 9 applications (2.1%)
• Population and medical genomics: 8 applications (1.9%)
• Ancient DNA: 3 applications (0.7%)

Distribution by institution type

The programme attracted diverse participation from across the Italian research ecosystem. Universities represented the main source of applications, with strong engagement also from clinical research institutes.

• Universities: 289 applications (67.2%)
• IRCCS (research hospitals): 116 applications (27.0%)
• Public research entities: 25 applications (5.8%)

The National Facilities are designed to provide more than access to advanced instrumentation. They combine state-of-the-art technologies with dedicated scientific support and a transparent, merit-based evaluation process overseen by the Standing Independent Evaluation Committee. This integrated model enables both established and early-career researchers to address complex research questions that would be difficult to pursue without shared infrastructures.

With the opening of the new Call for Access, researchers are invited to submit new proposals and explore fresh collaborations, building on an infrastructure that is ready to support the next generation of scientific discoveries.

Explore how we are supporting the growth of Italian life sciences and submit your application here.