Higher Education Sector, international networks and 7th Framework Programme: a case study from Italy

International networks among universities, international collaborations among scientists, and international mobility are interconnected phenomena. This paper presents the results of a study which considered research projects financed within the 7th Framework Programme for RTD (FP7) (2007-2013), as innovative elements of international collaborations and related mobility. The study is based on a sample of 3,570 FP7-financed research projects involving 15,500 HEIS with a focus on Sapienza University of Rome. Using quantitative (neural networks) and qualitative methods (in-depth interviews), a peculiar characteristic of FP7 projects is highlighted: they are, at the same time, cause and effect of international cooperation (among) and international mobility (of) scientists.