APRE is a non-profit association created in 1989 as a joint initiative of the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR) and a number of public and private bodies, to meet the growing demand for information on European research programmes.
APRE’s mission is to support and promote Italian participation in the European Union Research and Innovation (R&I) programmes, by providing scientific and the industrial communities with information, education and assistance services. APRE is at the heart of a network of more 150 members from the academia to private sector, including: public and private research centres, universities, scientific parks, public administration, trade associations, finance sector, chambers of commerce and enterprises. APRE can rely on this network to enhance and foster exchange of experience and best practices and to ensure a sound advocacy for its members at national and European level. APRE hosts all the HORIZON EUROPE National Contact Points (NCP) contributing to the successful participation and implementation of the Research and Innovation projects. APRE is also EURAXESS Bridgehead Organisation for Italy supporting the researchers’ career.
In order to strengthen the networking potential and raise the awareness of European research locally, APRE has established a network of 13 Regional Help Desks throughout Italy. In addition, APRE Liaison Office in Brussels acts as a strategic hub intended to promote and involve more effectively its Members straight into the heart of EU Research and Innovation policies and programmes. APRE is also a coordinator of the GIURI Group (Informal Group of the Italian Offices in Brussels), an informal platform of more than 50 Italian Brussels based representation offices representing research and business organisations, national/regional institutional bodies and financial intermediaries, actively dealing with EU R&I policies.
APRE Projects Department directly participates in the HORIZON EUROPE calls through its expertise in project management, training and information, stakeholder engagement and co-creation, dissemination and communication, policy analysis, innovation management and exploitation, responsible research and innovation and international cooperation.
APRE’s role in CATALISI
APRE is project Coordinator and responsible for the smooth implementation of the activities (WP6), leads the Knowledge sharing and Mutual Learning programme, organising workshops at European/national/local level with relevant stakeholders and Twinning exchanges for the enhancement of the research management competences (WP2), has an active role in the project evaluation mechanism (WP4), and coordinates the Community of Practice (WP6).
APRE team:
Maria Carmela Fierro is a Senior Project Manager in APRE.
She has an academic background in Political Science. She worked for private and public organizations supporting them in the management of EU Research and Innovation projects in different fields, financed by the European Commission, private foundations, regional and national administrations.
Laura Mentini is a Project Manager in APRE. She has an academic background in Education Policies and Global Development (PhD and Erasmus Mundus Joint Master) from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and experience in the EU Commission (DG Education, Youth, Sport and Culture), with Erasmus+ international programmes. Previously, she worked as a consultant at UN FAO agency (Rome) and collaborated with NGOs and bottom-up projects related to informal education and active citizenship in developing contexts.
