Ministers' meeting on Science and Technology
The meeting will take place in Bologna and Forlì from 9 to 11 July
05/07/2024
The G7 Ministers’ Meeting on Science and Technology, chaired by the Minister of Universities and Research, Anna Maria Bernini, will take place in Bologna and Forlì from July 9th to 11th, 2024. Ministers and Heads of Delegation from Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union will gather to discuss the pivotal role of science and research in ensuring a more equitable and sustainable future, and to explore possible shared initiatives to achieve this goal.
The agenda of the meeting, hosted at the Bologna Technopole, includes multiple sessions, each focusing on one of the priority themes identified by the Italian Presidency: research security and integrity, open science and science communication; large research infrastructures; research and innovation cooperation with Africa; research on new and emerging technologies, nuclear energy and space; seas, ocean, and their biodiversity.
Three high-level representatives – Maria Leptin, President of the European Research Council; Fabiola Gianotti, Director-General of CERN; and Tshilidzi Marwala, Rector of the United Nations University and UN Under-Secretary-General – will deliver a speech before the opening of three of the five ministerial working sessions which will then follow in a closed-door format. The Speakers will provide expert insights on the following priority themes: research security and integrity, large research infrastructures, and new and emerging technologies.
The African Union – represented by the Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Mohamed Belhocine – and UNESCO – represented by its Assistant Director-General for Education Stefania Giannini – will join the G7 Ministers and Heads of Delegation for the session on research and innovation cooperation with Africa, as invited international organizations.
The programme of the ministerial meeting also includes a quantum technology demonstration showcasing the potential of these emerging technologies, as well as visits to key infrastructures and sites in the Data Valley, and social events in iconic locations in Bologna and Forlì, such as a visit to the Ducati Museum and the concert performed by the National Symphony Orchestra of Italian Conservatories, conducted by Gianna Fratta.
The Italian Presidency of the Science and Technology track has also organized four side events focusing on four of its priority themes. The first on July 11th is the “Conference on Mediterranean and Atlantic Ocean Health and Coastal Resilience” to be held at the Bologna Technopole at the end of the Ministers’ Meeting, in a location close by. On October 2nd, 2024, the “G7 Conference on Research and Capacity Building with African Countries” will take place in Trieste, Area Science Park, on the sidelines of the Big Science Business Forum in Trieste. Also in October, from the 29th to the 30th, the “G7 Conference on Large Research Infrastructures” will be held in Sardinia, in Su Gologone, and will feature a visit to Sos Enattos, the site proposed by Italy for the ESFRI “Einstein Telescope” project. Finally, on December 5th, 2024, the “G7 Conference on Security and Integrity of the Global Research Ecosystem” will be hosted by the Polytechnic University of Bari.