Press Release
Bratislava, 21st March
The second stage of the promotional roadshow for the Big Science Business Forum 2024 was held in Bratislava, gathering the most important European research organisations and potential commercial and industrial partners. The presentation, organised by the Italian Embassy in collaboration with the Central European Initiative (CEI), the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, and the organising committee of the Big Science Business Forum (BSBF), saw the participation of numerous institutional representatives, research institutions, and Slovak companies interested in the opportunities offered by participating in research and development projects of scientific infrastructures launched every year by major European research organisations.
In particular, speakers included Gabriel Galgoci, Director General of the Strategic Section of the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic; Ketty Segatti, Central Director responsible for special projects in research and innovation at the Friuli Venezia Giulia Autonomous Region; Alessandro Lombardo from the Executive Secretariat of the CEI; and Paolo Acunzo from ENEA (Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development), who is the Director of the event in Trieste. A roundtable moderated by Jana Pivonkova, Industrial Liaison Officer at the European XFEL X-ray research infrastructure, saw the participation of representatives from the Slovak Ministry of Education’s Research and Development Department, the Slovak Agency for Investment and Trade Development (SARIO), the Slovak Academy of Sciences, and a company specialising in cutting-edge research and development services and technological projects.
In her speech, the Italian Ambassador to Bratislava, Catherine Flumiani, emphasised that the BSBF represents an important opportunity for the Slovak entrepreneurial and scientific community to seize multiple opportunities in terms of technological development and fruitful synergies with international partners in the European Big Science market. The Ambassador therefore hoped for extensive Slovak participation in an event that, after the editions in Copenhagen in 2018 and Granada in 2022, will see Italy as a protagonist on topics related to cutting-edge technologies associated with Big Science. The Ambassador also expressed satisfaction with the opportunity for coordination among the various Slovak stakeholders, who, during the discussion, confirmed a strong interest in collaboration with Italy, both in terms of research and industrial partnership opportunities.
video copyright © courtesy of Regione Autonoma Friuli Venezia Giulia – press and communication office