The Ministry of Education, Universities and Research is assigned the functions and tasks pertaining to the State in matters of school education, university education and high artistic, musical and dance training, scientific and technological research. 

In these three main intervention channels, with the exception of areas of competence reserved for other bodies and organizations, the Ministry also performs functions of regulation, support and enhancement of the autonomy recognized to schools, universities, universities and research institutes.

In the field of school education, the activity is mainly focused on the definition of legal systems, curricula, national indications and guidelines, as a reference framework for the curricular planning of educational institutions of the national education and training system; to the general organization of school education, legal status of school personnel, training of school managers, teaching and educational staff and of the school's administrative, technical and auxiliary staff; the definition of criteria and parameters for the implementation of social interventions in schools, interventions to support depressed areas for the territorial rebalancing of the quality of the school and educational service; to research and experimentation of innovations functional to training needs; the recognition of European and international qualifications and certifications and implementation of education policies common to European Union countries; defining the guidelines for the National Evaluation System; the identification of objectives and standards and training paths in the field of higher education and higher technical training and care of relations with the training systems of the regions; the definition of guidelines for private schools and for schools and non-state education courses; taking care of activities related to the association of students and parents; to the right to study and services to families, promotion of student status, study and professional orientation; to the care of international relations,

In the field of Higher Educationthe MIUR carries out tasks in terms of guidance, supervision and coordination, monitoring of activities, general standardization and financing of universities and institutions of high artistic, musical and dance training; programming of interventions on the university system; orientation of university students ex ante and ex post and of high artistic, musical and dance training, of connection between the world of education and that of higher education and of access systems, training courses, job-placement services; care of the harmonization and integration of the higher education system in the European training area, of the implementation of the community and international standards; of participation in activities related to access to administrations and professions,

In the Research sectorthe MIUR is entrusted with tasks of planning, planning and coordinating at a national and international level, including the definition of the National Research Program (PNR) and the coordination and monitoring of European research objectives; guidance, planning and coordination, general legislation and financing of non-instrumental research organizations and related activity monitoring; of integration between applied research and public research, coordination of Italian participation in national and international research programs; of analysis, elaboration and diffusion of the communitarian norm and the modalities of interaction with the community organisms and relative assistance to the enterprises; of scientific cooperation at national, EU and international level, also through specific links between universities and research institutes; promotion and support of business research also through the use of specific Facilitation Funds; enhancing the careers of researchers, their autonomy and their access to specific national and international funding programs and their international mobility; definition of information needs, in the areas of higher education and research and design of databases for student registries, research and evaluation; to promote the internationalization of higher education and research enhancing the careers of researchers, their autonomy and their access to specific national and international funding programs and their international mobility; definition of information needs, in the areas of higher education and research and design of databases for student registries, research and evaluation; to promote the internationalization of higher education and research enhancing the careers of researchers, their autonomy and their access to specific national and international funding programs and their international mobility; definition of information needs, in the areas of higher education and research and design of databases for student registries, research and evaluation; to promote the internationalization of higher education and research