National Center secures PN RIC 2021–2027 funding to strengthen Italy's leadership in gene therapy and RNA technologies

31 July 2026, Padua – The National Center for Gene Therapy and Drugs based on RNA Technology has secured funding under the Ministry of University and Research’s National Programme for Research, Innovation and Competitiveness for the Green and Digital Transition (PN RIC) 2021–2027, ensuring the continuation and consolidation of some of the most promising initiatives launched during its initial National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) funding phase.

Submitted in July 2025 in response to the Ministry’s call “Support for initiatives to strengthen strategic supply chains, to network forms of aggregation between research actors and to develop skills for smart specialization, industrial transition and entrepreneurship” (Directorial Decree No. 307 of 18 March 2025), the successful proposals will ensure that key research infrastructures, innovation activities and advanced training program launched through the National Center continue to grow beyond the initial NRRP funding period.

The awarded projects, each with an initial duration of 30 months from 19 June 2026, reinforce the National Center’s mission to accelerate the development of gene therapies and RNA-based medicines, strengthen technology transfer, foster collaboration between academia and industry, and build the highly specialized workforce needed to support the next generation of advanced therapies.

Strengthening Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The INNOVA-RNA project (Integrated Ecosystem for Research, Production and Business Incubation in RNA Therapies) extends the National Center’s innovation ecosystem through the creation of a sustainable Innovation Hub dedicated to RNA therapeutics.

By combining advanced research infrastructures with business services, mentoring, incubation programs and flexible access models for SMEs, start-ups and spin-offs, the project aims to accelerate the translation of scientific discoveries into commercial innovation.

At the core of the initiative is IDEAS-RNA, which aims at supporting entrepreneurship and facilitate collaboration between researchers, innovators and industry partners. The project involves the National Center Foundation, the Universities of Palermo, Naples Federico II and Bari together with Dompé Farmaceutici, BIOGEM, Genus Biotech, Materias, P.B.L. and Scylla Biotech.