Biography

Roberto Nocentini is the current Chief Operating Officer of the EUI and has gathered more than 30 years of experience in the international research management. He was appointed as Director of Finance and HR at the European University Institute (EUI) in January 2005. In 2015 he was appointed Director of Budget and Financial Affairs Service. He also undertook a range of roles at the EUI, including that of Head of the Research Administration Unit (unit specialised in fundraising), of Executive Assistant to the Secretary General and in 2016 as Secretary General ad interim before Vincenzo Grassi’s tenure. In 2017 he acted as the Director of HR ad interim and was appointed as EUI Administrative Support Coordinator to assist the President and the Secretary General of the EUI in horizontal internal management. He was appointed Chief Operating Officer in August 2024, a pivotal role in ensuring the efficient management of the Institute’s daily administrative and financial functions, encompassing business strategies and optimisation of the organisation’s operations. Appointed by the President, with guidance from the Secretary General, the COO focuses on aligning the Institute’s operations with its strategic objectives. Through thoughtful planning, improving operational processes, and optimising resource use, the COO works to support the EUI community effectively.

Working closely with various teams, the COO oversees key services such as the Human Resources, Information and Communications Technology, the Library, Real Estate and Facilities, Budget and Financial Affairs, and Accounting. In addition to these responsibilities, the COO assists the President with broader management issues and may serve as Acting Secretary General when needed.

The COO also holds a key role in governance, coordinating preparations for significant meetings of the governing bodies, such as the Budget Committee and the High Council Financial Working Group, composed of experts in the HR/finance areas, Members States’ delegates, EU Institutions, Academic partners. Moreover, the COO supervises procurement procedures and, in partnership with the Secretary General, ensures that administrative processes are streamlined, adaptable, and efficient.

He is actively involved in the negotiations concerning the Jean Monnet Action in the Erasmus+ Programme (new multiannual financial framework), and in the analysis and redesign of the EU staff reform with a view to adapting changes to the peculiarities of EUI, an intergovernmental teaching and research institution.