[Turn-over of non-tenured public health research personnel in an Italian public research institute (IRCCS).].

Background: The objective is to show variations in the number of non-tenured personnel (NTP) in a public health research centre (IRCCS) between 30th June 2016 and 31st December 2017. In this time interval, the issue of NTP was at the centre of governmental discussions.

Methods: Data collection was performed from CVs and scientific publications of NTP working at the Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori (INT). We compared the characteristics of NTP entering or leaving INT and those of NTP who remained in the considered time interval.

Results: NTP in INT counted 465 members of staff at 30th June 2016 and 472 at 31st December 2017. 75% of these works in the research. 26% of NTP left INT and their position resulted entirely substituted by other NTP. NTP staff who left are mainly aged under 40 and show fewer publications than those who stayed. Newly acquired NTP are younger and show a fewer number of publications compared to the personnel who left.

Conclusions: 1 out of 4 NTP members of staff moved to a new job during a period in which the uncertain future of NTP research staff was under the spotlight. It appears that IRCCS are progressively being identified as suitable for hands-on, post university internships from which researchers would then choose to move, in search of a new job in public or private centres, with a consequent decline of IRCCS' role in health research.