{"id":2021,"date":"2025-01-07T13:45:34","date_gmt":"2025-01-07T13:45:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sciencediplomacy.it\/?page_id=2021"},"modified":"2025-05-08T10:14:22","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T10:14:22","slug":"about-us","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.sciencediplomacy.it\/en\/about-us\/","title":{"rendered":"About us"},"content":{"rendered":"
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About US<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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This website was created to mark the launch of the first session of the International School on\nScience & Diplomacy<\/a> at the Ettore Majorana Foundation (Erice, Trapani), held in October 2024.\nThe website is managed by Prof. David Burigana (University of Padua, Department of Political\nScience, Law and International Studies \u2013 SPGI), who serves as its Principal Investigator and who\nfunded the purchase of the domain and its implementation as head of the Padua-based research\nunit devoted to Science and Space Diplomacy within the PRIN 2017 (2019\u201325) project Science,\nTechnology and International Relations: case studies in Italian foreign policy. <\/em>The Principal\nInvestigator of the PRIN project is Prof. Leopoldo Nuti (Roma Tre University), with two additional\nresearch units led by Prof. Federico Paolini (University of Macerata) and Prof. Massimo Bucarelli\n(formerly University of Salento, now Sapienza University of Rome).\nThe PRIN 2017 project focuses on Italy\u2019s role in techno-scientific diplomacy from the 1960s to the\n1980s, with particular attention to four areas: nuclear (Roma Tre), environmental (Macerata),\nenergy (Salento), and space (Padua). PRIN 2017 represents only one of the past and ongoing\ncollaborations among various institutions and research bodies that have contributed, in Europe\nand Italy, to reflection on the definition, evolution, and history of Science Diplomacy.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Through this platform, we aim not only to trace this evolution\u2014paying particular attention to\nmultidisciplinary international history, but also to address the present day, reporting on research\ninitiatives, advanced training, and outreach activities, of which the International School on Science\n& Diplomacy opened in Erice by the Ettore Majorana Centre is one example. We will not limit\nourselves to the institutions of the four Directors of the School, CASD, CNR, Paris Sorbonne\nUniversity, University of Padua, and VIU (Venice International University). Interest is growing\nacross Italy, from the Politecnico di Milano, with the appointment of the first Rector\u2019s Delegate for\nScience Diplomacy, to the Politecnico di Torino with its work on the history of physics; from the\nUniversities of Trieste and Florence with their focus on development policies, to the National PhD\nProgramme in Space Science and Technology coordinated by the University of Trento, which\nincludes a curriculum specifically dedicated to Space Diplomacy<\/a>Initiatives are multiplying in Italy,\nand we intend to review them while keeping in mind developments at the European and\ninternational levels, including the Science Diplomacy Alliance<\/a> to the Center e al Journal Science Diplomacy della AAAS<\/a>.<\/p>

While maintaining close attention to the international context, the focal point of our analyses\nremains Italy, which, as many colleagues in Europe and beyond acknowledge, has made significant\nand original contributions over the past four years in research and advanced training. Italy\u2019s new\npolicy approach is well represented by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International\nCooperation (MAECI) action to increase the number of Science Attach\u00e9s from 22 to around 60,\ndifferentiating them into scientific and space attach\u00e9s, and finally establishing agricultural\nattach\u00e9s. Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International\nCooperation (MAECI) action<\/a>.<\/p>

Our core pillars are research, advanced training, and outreach. While paying particular attention\nto the research sector (ERC-2024 SH6_11 \u2013 Global history, transnational history, comparative\nhistory, entangled histories), we adopt an interdisciplinary approach involving colleagues from the\nSTEAM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics), not only within the\ncorresponding SH6 Human past<\/a> subfields but also through the direct involvement of scientists and\ntechnologists. It is essential to understand the evolution of innovation in the technosciences and\nthe moments of rupture within it. Analysis limited solely to the political sphere of the international\ndimension\u2014or to its economic or social aspects\u2014is insufficient, especially when engaging with the\npresent. Today, science and technology are clearly strategic and unavoidable elements of any\nforeign policy decision. Hence, their historically rooted link with defence and security is an\nindispensable component of diplomacy.<\/p>

At the same time, an urgent focus on current affairs risks obscuring the analytical potential of\nstudying the evolution of the international system to reconstruct the present. Hence, it is urgent\nto analyze the crucial juncture between research and advanced training by re-examining past case\nstudies, witness testimony from recent events, and the participation of contemporary actors. It is\nat the intersection of different disciplines and between diachronic analysis and representation that\nwe propose, as an \u201capplied\u201d approach, the concept of operational history, <\/em>from research to\nadvanced training.<\/p>

Mission e target<\/strong><\/p>

We aim to offer an opportunity to new practitioners, scientists, international civil servants, and\ndiplomats, of Science Diplomacy, as well as to young scholars in the STEAM fields, Master\u2019s\nstudents, and PhD candidates, to engage with the world of science, technology, and foreign policy,\nbetween historical perspectives and present-day outlooks, within both research and advanced\ntraining. The goal is both to acquire new insights into Science Diplomacy and to approach a new\nfrontier of interdisciplinary and international research, involving actors and dynamics, scientists\nand diplomats alike.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cCuriosity and audacity, which characterise the human species, have brought us from the Stone\nAge to the present day, from the discovery of fire to the gradual understanding of the causes of\ncelestial motions,\u201d wrote a renowned Italian scientist. At the centre of this process, especially\ntoday, stands the researcher. \u201cA good researcher is not necessarily someone who was an\noutstanding student; super<\/em>conversely, an excellent student may turn out to be a mediocre researcher,\u201d\nthe same scientist observed. \u201cIn fact, beyond subject knowledge and solid basic training, it is\nimportant to possess the initiative and imagination required to interpret experiments and\nobservations, qualities that are largely innate, as well as a degree of independence and na\u00efvet\u00e9\nthat often allow one to glimpse what a more experienced researcher, accustomed to working\nwithin established tracks, fails to see.\u201d<\/p>

It is precisely this unconventional curiosity of the researcher, perpetually at risk of straying from\nestablished paths into unexplored terrain, with an invisible horizon lost in the immediacy of\nongoing research, that we seek to foster. Interaction with \u201cusers\u201d is essential. The definition and\npractices of Science Diplomacy evolve in parallel with stimuli and pressures from the international\ncontext, and it is crucial not to shy away from the demands of those directly engaged in it. For this reason the website,<\/strong> in addition to a News Letter<\/em>,includes also a restricted, login-based area for sharing\ndocuments, texts, and reflections, as well as serving as a platform for shared research and\nadvanced training experiences. the site also features in-depth analyses, bibliographic resources, presentations of archives, events,\nschools, and courses at Master\u2019s and PhD level, where Science Diplomacy is taught or where the\ninterconnection between science, technology, and foreign policy is explored. Users will be able to\nsuggest news, events, and publications for dissemination. We will keep track of initiatives and\npublications, as it is essential to reconstruct the history of what is being done in the field of\nScience Diplomacy.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

About US Questo sito nasce in occasione del lancio della prima sessione dell\u2019International School on Science & Diplomacy presso la Fondazione Ettore Majorana (Erice, Trapani) tenuta nell\u2019ottobre 2024. La gestione del sito \u00e8 curata dal Prof. David Burigana (Universit\u00e0 di Padova, Dipartimento SPGI Scienze Politiche, Giuridiche e Studi Internazionali) che ne \u00e8 il PI e, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_theme","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2021","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nAbout us - Science & Diplomacy in Italy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencediplomacy.it\/en\/about-us\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"About us - Science & Diplomacy in Italy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"About US Questo sito nasce in occasione del lancio della prima sessione dell\u2019International School on Science & Diplomacy presso la Fondazione Ettore Majorana (Erice, Trapani) tenuta nell\u2019ottobre 2024. La gestione del sito \u00e8 curata dal Prof. David Burigana (Universit\u00e0 di Padova, Dipartimento SPGI Scienze Politiche, Giuridiche e Studi Internazionali) che ne \u00e8 il PI e, […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sciencediplomacy.it\/en\/about-us\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Science & Diplomacy in Italy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-08T10:14:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"11 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sciencediplomacy.it\\\/about-us\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sciencediplomacy.it\\\/about-us\\\/\",\"name\":\"About us - Science & Diplomacy in Italy\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sciencediplomacy.it\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-01-07T13:45:34+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-08T10:14:22+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sciencediplomacy.it\\\/about-us\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sciencediplomacy.it\\\/about-us\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sciencediplomacy.it\\\/about-us\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sciencediplomacy.it\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"About us\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sciencediplomacy.it\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sciencediplomacy.it\\\/\",\"name\":\"International School Of Science & Diplomacy\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sciencediplomacy.it\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sciencediplomacy.it\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sciencediplomacy.it\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"International School Of Science & Diplomacy\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sciencediplomacy.it\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sciencediplomacy.it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sciencediplomacy.it\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/SDI.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sciencediplomacy.it\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/SDI.svg\",\"caption\":\"International School Of Science & Diplomacy\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sciencediplomacy.it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"About us - Science & Diplomacy in Italy","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.sciencediplomacy.it\/en\/about-us\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"About us - Science & Diplomacy in Italy","og_description":"About US Questo sito nasce in occasione del lancio della prima sessione dell\u2019International School on Science & Diplomacy presso la Fondazione Ettore Majorana (Erice, Trapani) tenuta nell\u2019ottobre 2024. 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