From November 26 to 28, 2024, the XIII Edition of the Italy-China Science, Technology and Innovation Week will take place. The event is held within the framework of the bilateral program of scientific and technological cooperation between Italy and China. It is promoted by the Governments of the two countries through the Ministry of University and Research of the Italian Republic and the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China.
The program is coordinated, for Italy, by Fondazione Idis-Città della Scienza in collaboration with the National Research Council and, for China, by the Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission, Administrative Commission of Zhongguancun Science Park.
The XIII Edition of the Week also sees the collaboration, for the Italian side, of the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and, for the Chinese side, of the International Technology Transfer Network.
The initiative represents an important platform for networking and matchmaking between the Italian and Chinese research and innovation systems and aims to promote academic, scientific, and technological exchanges. During the Week, experts and innovators from the two countries will meet to discuss the latest innovations, share ideas, and create new synergies. It will also be an opportunity to sign Cooperation Agreements that will launch joint projects between universities, research institutions, and companies.
2024 also marks two important anniversaries: the twentieth anniversary of the Global Strategic Partnership between Italy and China and the seventh centenary of the death of Marco Polo. It is in the spirit of the ancient trade routes that have embodied openness to dialogue and mutual understanding between civilizations for millennia, that on July 28 of this year, the implementation of an Action Plan for strengthening the Global Strategic Partnership China-Italy for the period 2024-2027 was agreed.
The Action Plan represents a further opportunity to strengthen cooperation in various fields, with particular attention to scientific and technological innovation. The goal is to promote economic and social development through joint research in areas of common interest, such as environment, energy, polar exploration, and sustainable development, themes that will be at the center of the XIII edition of the Italy-China Week.
The program of the XIII edition of the Week includes two stages in cities symbolic of Italian culture: in Naples on November 26, where the inaugural ceremony will also be held, to which Ministers Anna Maria Bernini and Yin Hejun will be invited, and in Venice on November 28.
Program of the Italy-China Science, Technology and Innovation Week
On November 26 at Città della Scienza:
- The inaugural ceremony in the presence of the Ministers.
- The signing of cooperation agreements and telematic sessions:
- Conservation of artistic and cultural heritage: Strategies and technologies for the conservation and enhancement of artistic and cultural heritage.
- Food production and processing systems: Innovations in food production and processing systems, focusing on sustainability and safety.
- Climate change and biodiversity: Impacts of climate change on biodiversity and solutions for mitigation and adaptation.
- Disaster risk reduction: Scientific and technological approaches to reducing risks related to natural disasters.
- Advanced Manufacturing: Advanced manufacturing technologies, with attention to digitization, automation, and innovative materials.
- One-to-One meetings.
On November 28 at the University Ca’ Foscari Venice:
- The institutional session.
- The thematic sessions.
- Polar sciences: Study of polar regions and their environmental and climatic dynamics on a global level.
- Coasts, seas, and ocean: Research and solutions for the protection and sustainable management of coastal and marine ecosystems.
The Cooperation Agreements, signed during the Inaugural Ceremony, aim to represent the official launch in an institutional framework of joint projects between institutions, universities, research bodies, and companies from the two countries.
The Thematic Sessions with Italian and Chinese experts are aimed at strengthening cooperation on priority issues for the two countries in research and innovation. These Sessions aim to stimulate interaction between public and private sectors, between the research world and the industrial world.
The One-to-One Meetings – for universities, research centers, hubs, and Italian and Chinese startups engaged in research and innovation – are an opportunity to dialogue to build new academic, scientific, and industrial partnerships.
