The 2014 FAR-FAS Call: The legacy of an extraordinary synergy

In 2014, the FAR-FAS Call merged the Research Incentives Fund (FAR) and the Underutilized Areas Fund (FAS) into a single strategic action. This was made possible by a program agreement involving the simultaneous collaboration of three institutional levels: the MIUR (Ministry of Education, University and Research), the MISE (Ministry of Economic Development), and the Tuscany Region.

With a total budget of approximately €51 million, the call supported projects in fundamental research, industrial research, and experimental development. Resources were concentrated on four pillars of modern technology—Energy, Photonics, ICT, and Robotics—with the goal of fostering dialogue between research organizations and the production landscape, strengthening the Tuscan industrial system, and generating direct impacts on high-skilled employment.

The call was open to Temporary Purpose Groupings (ATS), which were mandatorily composed of both enterprises (Small, Medium, and Large) and Research Organizations. This "mixed" structure ensured that every project possessed a rigorous scientific foundation while simultaneously maintaining a clear industrial application for the market.