The positive example of CERIC for science diplomacy presented at the CEI Committee of National Coordinators’ meeting

Location
4 October 2018, Trieste - Italy

CERIC director, Jana Kolar, attended the Committee of National Coordinators’ meeting organized by the Central European Initiative on October 4th in Trieste. She presented the Consortium as a positive example of science diplomacy, starting from the narrative of its set-up in 2014, upon proposal of six countries in Central and Eastern Europe (Austria, the Czech Republic, Italy, Romania and Slovenia), to which Croatia, Hungary, and Poland added as official Members in the subsequent years.

The case of CERIC, which aims at speeding up the East-West alignment in the European Research Area by avoiding the duplication of efforts and by fostering a synergic use of funds and resources, is emblematic. The Secretary-General of CEI, Ambassador Giovanni Caracciolo di Vietri, emphasized in his conclusions that CERIC is the picture of what CEI is striving to achieve.

The event aimed to enhance the role CEI plays in promoting science diplomacy, and to get familiar with the international scientific institutions based in Trieste and the opportunities they offer to the CEI Member States. In this respect, Dr. Kolar showcased the opportunities available in CERIC for researchers from Western Balkans, such as the promotional access. Through this access programme developed in the frame of the ACCELERATE H2020 project, CERIC provides additional support to scientific communities in low R&D performing countries in Central and Eastern Europe, to the travel and accommodation support already offered through the standard call for open access.

Sergio Paoletti – President of Area Science Park, Alessia Rosolen – Councillor for Work, Training, Education, Research, University and Family, and Giovanni Caracciolo di Vietri, opened the gathering. Speakers included representatives of the National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics (OGS), the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste, and CERIC. Stefano Fantoni – President of the Fondazione Internazionale Trieste, presented ESOF 2020, to be held in Trieste thanks to its international dimension and the projection of the city towards the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.