Science and education can contribute effectively to the development of the strategic partnership between Italy and Africa, also in light of the new Mattei Plan for Africa promoted by the Presidency of the Council. This is demonstrated by Friuli Venezia Giulia, which with the numerous experiences gained and success stories can play a central role in deepening the already fruitful collaborations. This is what emerged from the annual conference of SiS FVG, the Scientific and Innovation System of Friuli Venezia Giulia, held on Wednesday 26 June in Trieste in Area Science Park, and which explored the connections between international cooperation and scientific diplomacy.
“The scientific and innovation system of Friuli Venezia Giulia has been able to anticipate many of the themes contained in the Mattei Plan. The very theme of scientific diplomacy has accompanied the history of this territory, anticipating the debate we are facing at a national and European level” declared Alessia Rosolen, Councilor for work, training, education, research, university and family of the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia ” Our added value concerned in particular the training courses in research support, in the relationship between new professional figures, in the construction of the higher education system and ITS. In this area, among other things, we have two national excellences: the exchange experience of the Malignani of Udine with Egypt and that of the ITS Alto Adriatico of Pordenone with Ghana”.
Numerous speakers spoke during the conference to make contributions and discuss the topic. Among these Vincenzo Lorusso, responsible for the European Union’s Cooperation in Research and Innovation with the African Union at the DG Research and Innovation of the European Commission who spoke about the key role that Research & Innovation have in the development of the partnership between the European Union and Africa . Lorusso also confirmed the investment (equal to 150 billion euros), announced at the EU-AU summit last February, which aims to support Africa for a strong, inclusive, ecological and digital recovery and transformation.
The role of science as an effective tool for consolidating transnational relations had already been crystallized in the 2019 Trieste Declaration, signed by the ministers of 17 countries of the Central European Initiative CEI who designated as priorities themes such as scientific diplomacy, the mobility of researchers, the exchange of staff and the promotion of transnational collaborative networks.
Among the best practices presented: the MITS Academy/Egypt project and the training project with Ghana Confindustria Alto Adriatico. The first, born from the collaboration between the ITS Academy of Udine and the Don Bosco Joint Institute of Cairo and illustrated by Paola Perabò, Vice President of the MITS Malignani Foundation, Higher Technical Institute of Udine, aims to contribute to reducing the misalignment between demand and supply of personnel qualified in the manufacturing sector and promote cooperation between Italy and Egypt. The second, presented by the President of Confindustria Alto Adriatico Michelangelo Agrusti, has the objective of training young Ghanaians, already enrolled in technical and professional schools in that country, to fill the lack of manpower in the industrial system of Friuli Venezia Giulia.
The President of Area Science Park, Caterina Petrillo, opened the proceedings by focusing on the strategic importance of the theme of the Conference, shared by all the representatives of SiS FVG, “a fundamental theme for Trieste, a center of excellence in which and numerous organizations active in research and higher education operate at an international level”. The President then recalled the appointment on 2 October with a G7 Research event, organized in the context of BSBF 2024, dedicated to building skills and transferring knowledge to strengthen collaboration between Italy and Africa.
Alessandro Garbellini – Head of the Space, Multilateral Scientific Cooperation and Intellectual Property Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, then intervened and declared: “The SiS FVG model certainly represents a lever for our foreign policy and is proof of how much a functioning infrastructure combined with proactivity of the institutions brings benefits to the country system. Trieste has invented a new model of scientific cooperation: pooling capabilities, allowing access and ensuring that brains produce regardless of their origin. The Ministry is promoting the Trieste model around the world.”
Following, the speech by Francesco Ciardiello – Technical Secretariat of the General Directorate of Research, Ministry of University and Research – who reiterated the centrality of Trieste and the role that the Julian capital can play in the development of international cooperation.
The final part of the conference was dedicated to a round table moderated by Nico Pitrelli, director of the SISSA Master in Science Communication “Franco Prattico”, focused on cases of scientific cooperation and diplomacy presented by various institutions of the SiS FVG.
Speakers: Alessandro Lombardo, Senior Executive Officer CEI – Central European Initiative; Marianna Maculan, External Relations Manager for ICGEB – International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology; Atish Dabholkar, Director ICTP – International Center for Theoretical Physics; Tonya Blowers, Program Coordinator OWSD – Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World; Claudia Baracchini, Senior Project Manager TEC4I FVG – Technologies for innovation FVG; Peter Mc Grath, Coordinator of the Scientific Diplomacy Unit for TWAS – The World Academy of Sciences; Mounir Ghribi – Director of International Cooperation and Research Promotion for OGS – National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics.
