During the latest years, the School confirmed its strong ability to attract financing for research. Actually, Sant'Anna generated very high level activities and significantly contributed to strengthen its role as research centre of excellence at an international level.

Currently, the percentage of financing coming from external sources is 95.63% of the total financing available for research. The average available funds allocated to each researcher totalled 104,251.00 euros in 2006.

The research projects may be subdivided into the following 3 large categories, depending on financing sources:

National Projects – They are linked to the institutional research financing allocated by the Government (Ministry of University and Research and other Ministries), private and public organizations, Foundations and University.

International Projects – They are backed with EU and international financing for scientific research.

Projects for Third Parties – They are carried out by the School, in its own facilities, at the request of public and private organizations, both national and international. In these projects, the prevailing interest is the client’s and they do not fall within the institutional tasks of the School.

As regards financing channels, the European Union is the major financing source for the School. The second financing source concerns those research activities that are funded by public and private organizations and, especially, by the Bank Foundations working on the territory. Research jobs ordered by third parties continue to be an important financing source, too. This fact confirms the attention that the School addresses also to the transfer of the results of its own researches, in line with its mission of School for Applied Sciences.