In 2009, INAF recorded the greatest increase ever in scientific output, as certified by the international ratings agency ISI Thomson, while CIVR previously rated INAF as the top organisation for its research area (physics). INAF considers the evaluation of its work a fundamental element of its operation, equivalent to a scientific work that must be evaluated before being considered valid. For this, and other reasons, INAF autonomously established the Visiting Committee, composed of independent scientists from foreign institutes and universities, which evaluated its research. Apart from having one of the highest scientific rates of production for the number of researchers, we also have the best ratio of financial investment to production, which places us first in Italy, and perhaps in the world.