Annex 1 – Third selection notice for admission to PhD courses of the University of Siena, 40th cycle,
academic year 2024/2025
Disclaimer: This document is a non-official version of the PhD course selection notice meant to provide information in
English – only the Italian version approved with Rector’s Decree n. 1080/2024, Prot. N. 114616 17/06/2024 shall be
legally binding.
Deadline for applications:
29 October 2024, 14:00 (Central European Time - CET)
Art. 1 - Subject
1. The University of Siena announces a selection procedure for admission to the doctoral courses for
academic year 2024/25, 40th cycle, for n. 5 positions for the PhD courses in
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology BiBiM 2.0
- Economics
- Information Engineering and Science.
2. All specific information for the positions announced including the research topic and the selection
procedures are outlined in the attached schedules (Annex 2) which are an integral part of this notice.
3. The number of scholarships may be increased because of additional funding that must actually be
acquired by the University of Siena in time to be assigned by 31 December 2024. These scholarships will
be assigned only after completion of the acts necessary for the acquisition of the resources required for
the scholarship and ascertained by the competent offices. If the number of scholarships increases, the
number of positions without scholarships may be increased provided that at least 75% of the total
available positions are financially covered.
4. Any increase of scholarships and the consequent integration to the present notice will be published on
the website of the doctoral courses, 40th cycle (https://www.unisi.it/ricerca/dottorati-di-
ricerca/dottorati-di-ricerca-40-ciclo).
5. The duration of the doctoral course is 3 years, beginning from 1 December 2024.
Art. 2 – Admission requirements
1. Applicants holding at least one of the following academic qualifications, obtained by 30 November 2024,
may apply for admission, without age or citizenship restrictions:
- Diploma di Laurea conferred by an Italian university before D.M. 509/1999 or
- Laurea Specialistica conferred by an Italian university according to D.M. 509/1999 or
- Laurea Magistrale conferred by an Italian university according to D.M. 270/2004 or
- academic degree conferred by a foreign University, comparable for level, nature, duration, content and
academic rights (access to doctoral courses) to the Italian master’s degree. In this case a “statement of
comparability” (dichiarazione di equipollenza) by competent academic authorities, including the
context of inter-university cooperation and mobility agreements, is required and in the application for
admission the candidate must indicate the date of issue of the statement of comparability as date of
the achievement of the title and the Italian university that has issued it. If no statement of
comparability has been issued, yet, the eligibility of the qualification is ascertained by the selection
committee, also based on the indications of the competent office of the University in compliance with
the law in force in Italy and in the country where the title was awarded and international treaties or
agreements in the field of recognition and qualifications for the continuation of studies.
2. The attached schedules to this notice indicate any specific master's degrees required by individual doctoral
courses.
3. The academic qualification awarded abroad, lasting at least 4 years, must be qualified second level
according to the university system of the country in which it was obtained and allow access to doctoral
courses. Candidates with foreign academic qualifications must attach the following documentation to the
online application: certificate of title with list of exams and grades (transcript) in Italian, English or French,
or translated into Italian, English or French and a copy of any other document deemed useful for the
assessment of eligibility of the qualification (e.g. Diploma supplement, curriculum, Declaration of value -
Dichiarazione di valore in loco or Statement of comparability and verification of qualifications through the
CIMEA DiploMe portal, for further details see art. 5, point 8). The candidate may be asked at any time to
integrate the submitted documentation to verify eligibility. Candidates with a foreign academic
qualification are admitted to the selection under condition. If admitted for matriculation, they must
deliver the documentation indicated in article 5, paragraph 8 when matriculating. If, after verification,
the qualification does not comply with the requirements of this notice, the candidates will be excluded
from the doctoral programme.
4. Candidates competing for positions with a Pegaso scholarship, financed by Regione Toscana, must
a) be no more than 35 years of age at the time of applying for the competition;
b) have an adequate knowledge of the English language equivalent to at least level B2.
5. Applicants for positions covered by apprenticeship contracts, as per article 45 of Legislative Decree
81/2015, may not be aged over 29 years at the time of contract stipulation.
Art. 3 – Application
1. Applications must be submitted by the peremptory deadline of 14:00 hrs (Central European Time - CET)
of 29 October 2024 through the online platform at https://segreteriaonline.unisi.it. Instructions for the
online application procedure are available in the section "How to apply to PhD positions" on the University
of Siena webpage "Informazioni per dottorandi e dottori di ricerca" on
(https://www.unisi.it/ricerca/dottorati-di-ricerca/informazioni-dottorandi-e-dottori-di-ricerca). A one-
time contribution of EUR 30,00, to be made online through PagoPA, is required before the application can
be submitted.
2. The documents required for evaluation indicated in annex 2 must be uploaded to the telematic system in
PDF format.
3. The “Selection application reminder” (Promemoria domanda di partecipazione selezione) will be
automatically issued to confirm that the application has been registered successfully. When closing the
procedure on the online platform https://segreteriaonline.unisi.it the application is automatically
forwarded to the University of Siena. Applicants are therefore not required to send or deliver any
documentation to the University offices.
4. Candidates may apply for more than one position, following the on-line procedures as of paragraph 1. If
in a useful placement in more than one ranking list, candidates must opt for only one position.
Art. 4 - Selection examinations and admission
1. The dates of examinations and the composition of the selection committee, responsible for the evaluation
of the candidates, will be published on the reference pages of the related doctoral course on the website
of the University of Siena (at the time of publication of this notice https://www.unisi.it/ricerca/dottorati-
di-ricerca/dottorati-di-ricerca-40-ciclo) usually at least 15 days before the date of the exam. This
publication is to be considered an official convocation. Candidates will therefore not receive any personal
convocation nor communication related to the examinations.
Third selection notice for PhD courses, University of Siena, 40th cycle page 2
2. The composition of the selection committee in charge of evaluating the candidates will be published on
the reference pages of the relevant doctoral course on the University of Siena's website
(https://www.unisi.it/ricerca/dottorati-di-ricerca/dottorati-di-ricerca-40-ciclo) upon the expiration of the
notice.
3. The examinations, aimed at assessing the candidate's aptitude for scientific research, will take place as
indicated in the attached schedules. To take part in the examinations, candidates must present the valid
identification document (ID card, passport) uploaded during the application process. The modalities of the
interview are indicated on the schedules attached to the notice or will be made known on the reference
pages of the relevant PhD course on the University of Siena's website
(https://www.unisi.it/ricerca/dottorati-di-ricerca/dottorati-di-ricerca-40-ciclo). If it will be conducted on
an online platform, the candidate must ensure the use of a webcam to allow his/her identification to the
selection committee, be available at the registered personal address during the registration on the day
indicated for the oral examination. The selection committee may agree with the candidates on a precise
timetable for the start of the interview. For identification each candidate shall be required, before the
interview begins, to identify himself/herself, showing the same identity document submitted during the
application procedure. Failure to communicate the personal address, failure to connect, the unavailability
of the candidate on the date or time set or the failure to present a valid identification document, as
indicated beforehand, constitute grounds for exclusion from the selection procedure. The University
declines any responsibility for technical difficulties that may hinder a regular conduction of the interview.
The oral examinations, including those conducted on online platforms, are public.
4. The selection committee, appointed by the Rector after consulting the Academic board, shall be composed
of at least three up to seven members of which at least three tenured professors and not more than two
experts, also from foreign countries, selected from public or private research institutions and centres. The
evaluation criteria of the examinations are established in advance by the selection board in plenary
session.
Art. 5 – Ranking lists and enrolment
1. The Rector will approve the selection acts and rankings and issue a decree regarding the admission of
candidates. The ranking of eligible applicants and winners of positions will be published on the reference
pages of the doctoral course on the website of the University of Siena (at the time of publication of this
notice https://www.unisi.it/ricerca/dottorati-di-ricerca/dottorati-di-ricerca-40-ciclo) by 13 November
2024. The ranking is based on the candidate's total score in the evaluation of the CV, titles, research
project, and any test.
2. In the event of equality of merit, the youngest candidate shall prevail.
3. The positions will be assigned based on the ranking of merit. The publication of ranking lists has the value
of official notification. Winners will therefore not receive any personal communication regarding their
final ranking. In case of useful placement in more than one ranking list of different doctoral research
programmes, the candidate must opt for only one position.
4. Winners must enrol, under penalty of forfeiture, by 14:00 hrs (CEST) of 18 November 2024. Only if there
are still positions available, due to non-enrolment or explicit waiver by entitled persons, the ranking list
will be scrolled. The terms for scrolling are indicated in the following table:
Data of publication Peremptory deadline for enrolment
Ranking lists By 13 November 2024 by 14:00 hrs (CET) of 18 Novembrer 2024
1° scrolling 19 November 2024 by 14:00 hrs (CET) of 22 Novembrer 2024
The list of replacement candidates is notified through the same procedure adopted for the final ranking.
Should the candidate renounce to his/her position or fail to enrol, the next candidate in the ranking list
shall be assigned a position in accordance with the dates indicated above. After these deadlines, and in
any case no later than 31 December 2024, replacements are possible only after approval by the academic
board of the doctoral course.
Third selection notice for PhD courses, University of Siena, 40th cycle page 3
5. In case of joint attendance of a medical specialization course and a doctoral research course the duration
of the doctoral course is reduced to a minimum of two years (art. 19, Law n. 240/2010) in compliance
with the following general criteria:
a) The postgraduate student must have been awarded a place in the doctoral course at the same
university in which he/she is attending postgraduate school.
b) Joint attendance may be arranged during the last year of the Specialization school and must be
compatible with the activities and duties of the school, subject to approval by the school's council.
c) The academic board of the doctoral course may approve any request for reduction after assessing
research activities already carried out during the medical specialization course, as attested by the
school's council.
d) During the year of joint attendance, the specializing postgraduate student cannot receive a doctoral
scholarship.
6. Winners must submit their request for enrolment no later than the deadline indicated under paragraph
4, using the dedicated online enrolment procedure available at https://segreteriaonline.unisi.it, following
the instructions in section “How to enrol in the first year” on the University of Siena internet page
“Informazioni per Dottorandi e Dottori di ricerca” (at the time of the notice
https://www.unisi.it/ricerca/dottorati-di-ricerca/informazioni-dottorandi-e-dottori-di-ricerca).
7. Candidates who hold a foreign academic qualification, of at least four-year duration, as of art. 5,
paragraph 3, must attach during the online matriculation:
- copy of the original degree awarded or certificate of the qualification issued by the awarding
university in digital format
- proof of authenticity of the the degree awarded (one of the following three options)
o “Certificate of Comparability” and “Certificate of Verification” issued by the Italian ENIC-NARIC
Centre (CIMEA), through the CIMEA DiploMe portal (https://cimea-diplome.it/);
o Declaration of Value (DoV) issued by Italian diplomatic missions;
o Diploma Supplement issued by the University, following the standard scheme developed by the
European Commission, the Council of Europe, and UNESCO/CEPES (valid only for countries that
have joined the international agreement).
Candidates must present the required documents at the moment of matriculation. Candidates who do
not submit the above required documents and applicants for whom verification shows that the
qualification does not comply with the requirements of this notice will be excluded.
8. Candidates admitted and expecting to obtain their degree by 31 October 2024, according to the provisions
of Article 2, must submit the required documents as a rule by 4 November 2024.
9. Non-EU applicants who are eligible for enrolment will be admitted to the courses provided that they
comply with the current provisions concerning entry and stay in Italy and are legally residing in Italy (art.
39, par. 5 of Legislative Decree no. 286 dated 25.07.1998, as modified by art. 26 of Law no. 189 dated 30
July 2002). They must submit a copy of their valid passport and residence permit issued by the competent
authorities. If resident abroad, instead, they must provide a copy of the passport, of the entry visa and a
copy of the residence permit for study purposes issued by the competent police authority (Questura).
10.Enrolment is confirmed upon payment of the Tassa Regionale di Diritto allo Studio Universitario (DSU;
Regional Fee for the Right to University Study) (€140,00) and the virtual stamp duty (€16,00) through the
PagoPA system (art. 5 of Code for Digital Administration and Legislative Decree 179/2012). An enrolment
receipt may be printed out at the end of the online procedure.
11.Those admitted who do not comply with the above requirements within the above peremptory deadlines
shall be considered ipso iure to have resigned.
12.Final enrolment completion is conditional on verification that the course access requirements have been
met. Until that time, enrolment is intended to be conditional.
Third selection notice for PhD courses, University of Siena, 40th cycle page 4
Art. 6 – Scholarship allocation
1. The academic board of the doctoral course allocates the scholarships in compliance with the ranking order.
2. In case of waiver or failure to enrol by the winner of a scholarship, the scholarship will be allocated by
scrolling the ranking list.
3. Scholarships which are dedicated to a specific research activity, bind the recipients to carry out such
activity and to the respect of what is required.
4. PhD students awarded Pegaso scholarships must, in addition to what is indicated in Article 15 of the
Regional Notice for the funding of doctoral scholarships organized in networks between universities,
university institutes and research bodies also in collaboration with enterprises activities in the academic
year 2024/25, 40th cycle:
a) be not more than 35 years of age at the time of applying for the competition;
b) have an adequate knowledge of English language equivalent to at least level B2;
c) declare their willingness to undertake periods of study and research abroad of at least 6 months within
the three-year course period, of at least 12 months in the case of international scholarships, and to be
aware that failure to undertake the stay abroad will result in the withdrawal of the entire scholarship
(recipients of scholarships with a specific subject are excluded from this declaration, for whom the stay
abroad is not required);
d) declare, limited to the beneficiaries of a scholarship with a specific topic, their willingness to carry out
a training/research experience of at least 3 months in an applied context, such as a company, a public
research body, another public (non-university) institution and to be aware that failure to carry out such
an experience may result in the revocation of the funding for the whole grant by Regione Toscana;
e) declare their willingness to attend courses for the acquisition of soft skills, knowledge of the world of
work and research, methodologies of data collection, analysis and management (Data Science), which
will be proposed by the implementing body over the three-year period of the PhD course;
f) be aware that Regione Toscana does not reimburse the costs of scholarships for PhD students who
renounce the course in the first three months and that, therefore, in the case of renouncement, in any
case motivated, or interruption of the course in the first three months, without having achieved any
documented result in terms of skills acquired, the Unviersity of Siena is obliged to request the
reimbursement of the monthly payments received.
5. Those who have already received, even partially, a scholarship for the attendance of doctoral courses or
equivalent courses at the University of Siena or other Italian universities, cannot benefit from another
doctoral scholarship.
6. Should a scholarship winner with a foreign academic qualification not submit the necessary
documentation (as of art. 5, paragraph 8) or the submitted documentation not attest the validity of the
qualification for an academic course similar to a PhD (Dottorato di ricerca) in the country of achievement,
the candidate loses his/her position and must return any doctoral scholarship disbursements.
7. The annual amount of the scholarship is Euro 16.243,00, eligible for the INPS separately managed social
security contribution. The duration of the scholarship is equal to the entire duration of the course and will
be paid in deferred monthly instalments. If the doctoral student renounces to the scholarship or the
continuation of the course, the University will interrupt payment of the scholarship.
8. The doctoral scholarship may not be combined with any other scholarship, except those awarded by
national or foreign institutions to supplement training or research activity of the scholarship holder.
9. In the case of a scholarship financed by public or private external bodies, the scholarship will only be
allocated if the financier has actually paid the corresponding amount to cover the scholarship.
Art. 7 – Fees and contributions
1. Doctoral students benefitting from a scholarship must pay the annually the DSU (Right to University Study)
Tuscan regional tax of € 140,00, the virtual stamp duty of € 16,00, and the university fee of € 340,00.
Third selection notice for PhD courses, University of Siena, 40th cycle page 5
2. Doctoral students without scholarship must pay the annual DSU Tuscan regional tax of € 140,00 and the
virtual stamp duty of € 16,00.
3. Students with certified disability greater than or equal to 66% are exempt from payment of university fees
and the DSU Tuscan regional tax.
Art. 8 – Duties and doctoral students
1. The admission to the doctoral course entails exclusive, full-time commitment.
2. For courses requiring mandatory attendance, winning candidates must make the necessary arrangements
with the course coordinator in good time to agree on the terms of attendance.
3. Doctoral students are required to carry out activities related to the approved research project. At the end
of each year, doctoral students are required to submit a report on their activities and research to the
academic board for the purpose of admission to the following year. If there is a valid reason, the academic
board has the authority to exclude candidates from admission to the following academic year.
4. The education and training courses related to Pegaso scholarships financed by Regione Toscana, include:
a) a mandatory period of research and study abroad of 6 (six) months or, in case of and international
scholarship of 12 (twelve) months (recipients of Pegaso scholarships with specific topics are excluded
from this requirement);
b) for recipients of scholarships with specific topics, a mandatory experience of at least 3 (three) months
of training/research in an application context, such as a company, public research organisation, or other
public (non-university) institution.
5. At the end of the course, doctoral students submit their doctoral thesis with original contributions for the
purpose of admission to the final examination.
Art. 9 – Awarding of the degree
1. The title of Dottore di ricerca (PhD) is awarded according to the modalities indicated in article 13 of the
University Regulations governing doctoral courses
(https://www.unisi.it/sites/default/files/allegatiparagrafo/2022_PhD_regulations.pdf).
2. Doctoral dissertations must be up-loaded by the doctoral students in electronic format with a digital
signature (compliant with Italian legislative decree n. 82 of 7 March 2005 and successive modifications) in
the University repository USiena-Air http://usiena-air.unisi.it/, to be filed in the national libraries.
Art. 10 – Relevant legislation
For any matter not explicitly covered by this selection notice, the University shall refer to the following Italian
legislation:
- Art. 4 of Italian Law 3 July 1998, no. 210
- Decree of the Minister of University and Research 14 December 2022, no. 226;
- University regulations on PhDs in compliance with DM 226/2021
(https://www.unisi.it/sites/default/files/allegatiparagrafo/2022_PhD_regulations.pdf).
Art. 11 – Processing of personal data
1. The processing of personal data of candidates is carried out by the University of Siena exclusively for
institutional purposes and for managing this notice. The information on the processing of the student's
personal data can be obtained in the Privacy section of the University Portal
(https://www.unisi.it/ateneo/adempimenti/privacy).
2. The University undertakes to respect the confidential nature of the data and information provided by the
candidate, which will be treated in accordance with EU Regulation 2016/679 on the protection of personal
data and Legislative Decree 196/2013 of the Privacy Code, for provisions not incompatible with the
Regulation itself. The data controller is the University of Siena, legally represented by the pro-tempore
Rector, Prof. Roberto Di Pietra. The candidate can assert his/her rights (articles 15 and following of the EU
Third selection notice for PhD courses, University of Siena, 40th cycle page 6
Regulation) by contacting the Data Controller and writing to pec email [email protected] or e-mail
[email protected].
3. The provision of data is mandatory for the management of the relationship between the student and the
University (eg. selection, admission, enrolment, university career management, etc.). Any refusal to
process data implies the exclusion from the selection.
Art. 12 – Notice advertising
1. This selection notice shall be published on the reference pages of the doctoral course on the website of
the University of Siena (https://www.unisi.it/ricerca/dottorati-di-ricerca/dottorati-di-ricerca-40-ciclo) and
advertised online on the University of Siena, Euraxess, and Ministry of University and Research webpages.
2. Furthermore, this notice and the rankings of candidates will be published on the official University website
at http://albo.unisi.it.
Art. 13 – Final provisions
1. The person in charge of the administrative procedure is Jacqueline Irene Muller, Head of the Office for
doctoral courses (Ufficio per il Dottorato di ricerca) at the University of Siena.
2. Any changes or additions to the contents of this notice will be published on the reference pages of the
doctoral course on the website of the University of Siena (https://www.unisi.it/ricerca/dottorati-di-
ricerca/dottorati-di-ricerca-40).
Annex 2 containing:
1 – Schedule for PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology BiBiM 2.0
2 – Schedule for PhD in Economics
3 – Schedule for PhD in Information Engineering and Science
Third selection notice for PhD courses, University of Siena, 40th cycle page 7
