The University is a member of important European networks. Such participation is designed to increase its international visibility and to develop its research support activities, in close contact with the most important European institutional actors. Its participation in these networks has enabled the University to expand its field of action, strengthening the role of researchers in European projects via new thematic partnerships for the presentation of new projects.

The Research Service receives daily news on thematic days on European programmes. The most relevant days are: Brokerage Events on specific topics; Partner Searches on specific topics; Training days on the conditions of participations, of presenting competitions and on other topics deemed of interest from time to time; Infodays with NCP (National Contact Centres), National Delegates, Officers.

The Research Service periodically asks professors to report the competitions which they intend to take part in. Starting from these reports, if any, the Service matches the opportunities offered by the identified days with the events of interest to professors and the expertise on offer at the University. In case of a broad interest, the relevant contact persons or also the Heads of Department are informed and asked to disseminate information as they think fit.

When the Research Service receives a company's request on the need to carry out a research project or an analysis at the University labs, the Service carries out a preliminary review of this request. By using the tool "Mapping of Expertise", a search is carried out with key words to identify the lines of research (if defined) or the research areas of the various Departments that deal with these issues.

If only one Department is potentially interested, the Head of such Department is contacted, forwarding thereto the email received by the Research Service and suggesting the name of the contact person of the line or area to be involved, leaving such decision ultimately to the Head himself. After identifying the names of the most suited professors, these are contacted to verify whether they are interested in answering the company's request and are invited to contact the company and to keep the Research Service informed of the development, if any, of the activity.

If the expertise required belongs to more than one Department, instead, all the Heads are simultaneously contacted, asking them to carry out all appropriate internal checks and inform the Service of the availability, if any, of their colleagues. In principle, the company is contacted and the meeting is attended by the professors of the various Departments concerned so as to offer a multidisciplinary approach to settle the matter.

European networks identify a number of topics within H2020 calls that might be of special interest to the network which the organizing entity is a part of: the objective is to create an international network of SMEs, Universities, Research Centres that can answer the call in question.

Once this list is received, the Research Service takes steps to identify one or more University Departments that might be interested in the topics. In particular, the Service tries to identify the research area or specific research group and, after a general verification with the Head of Department, it contacts those who might be interested and provides information on the conditions and deadline for presentation of an abstract in response to the topic.

The organizing entity receives the topics and, where necessary, it selects them on the basis of the completeness of the information and of the level of detail given. The selected proposing researchers are invited to Brussels to take part in one or more meetings in which they illustrate their project for a potential partnership, receiving accurate feedback on their presentation with networking activities. Even without a specific project idea, researchers may take part in these events to join the project with other entities.