The Farnesina hosts a Technical Panel between Italy and China

The Farnesina highlights the importance of cooperation with China in the field of Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI). The strategic focus was confirmed on the occasion of the “Technical Panel for Scientific and Tehcnological Cooperation with China,” now at its fifth edition, which was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on 24 April. The Panel, which is a coordination and policy tool, periodically meets at the Farnesina, gathering top representatives of Italy’s institutional, scientific, academic and entrepreneurial world to discuss the status of scientific and technological cooperation with China.Vincenzo De Luca, Director General for Cultural and Economic Promotion and Innovation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, delivered the opening remarks. Chaired by Fabrizio Nicoletti, Director for Research and Innovation of  the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the meeting was attended by Plinio Innocenzi, Lorenzo Gonzo and Roberto Pagani, the Italian scientific attaches to China, and about sixty delegates from the Ministry, research institutions, universities, Polytechnic Institutes, Italian districts and regions, all of them interested in engaging in cooperation activities with China.Important data regarding the trend in scientific relations between the two Countries were presented and discussed during the meeting. Italy ranks eleventh among China’s STI partners, and China is Italy’s 12th largest STI partner. Over 700 cooperation agreements are operational between Italian and Chinese universities.The Panel also discussed the upcoming 2018 Italy-China Innovation Forum. The very successful 2017 Forum recorded the participation of 350 Italian delegates and approximately 2,700 Chinese delegates. The  2018 Italy-China Innovation Forum, whose call for participation will be launched in the next few months, plans to increasing the number of participating businesses. The Director General for Cultural and Economic Promotion and Innovation, Vincenzo De Luca, said: “The Farnesina is committed to developing scientific and technological relations with Beijing, that can be mutually beneficial, in the field of Italy’s strategic priorities and in the most promising sectors such as environmental sustainability, health and engineering.”