English
The China-Italy Science, Technology and Innovation Week 2015 came to Tianjin for the last leg of its sixth edition. The day dedicated to the ninth Sino-Italian Exchange Event, was opened at the Tianjin Scientists and Engineers Club by a meeting between Fabrizio Cobis, delegate of the General Directorate of the Ministry of Education, and representatives of Tianjin Association for Science and Technology (TAST). “The friendship between Italy and China has a long history and with occasions like this it is possible to further consolidate our relationship toward a future that is mutually stimulating”, said Cobis. The delegate of the MIUR went on to say that “the rapid growth that China has seen in recent years in the fields of science and technology is an opportunity for our country and for our researchers to seize the best. The numbers of our participation, more than 150 organizations and 200 workers, represent the Italian desire to hear and be heard in China. The Ministry of Education – continued Cobis – wanted to support this mission in the belief that international collaboration represents a key moment”. The Chinese system provides skills and excellence, which is why it is necessary to seize the opportunity to work now and in the future.
During the opening ceremony speeches were made by representatives of universities, business incubators and research centres.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bologna, Alessandra Scagliarini, explained that these days have been very fruitful for the participants to the event. “During the China-Italy Science, Technology and Innovation Week we interacted with Italians and Chinese colleagues in an interdisciplinary frame very rare and precious. This event closes today, but quickly becomes a starting point for many new partnerships and the University of Bologna wants to be confirmed at the forefront of this process of consolidation of relations between the two countries”.
Mariangela Contursi, chief operating officer of the Business Innovation Centre (BIC) of Città della Scienza, recalled the beginnings of a collaboration that began nine years ago and since that time has hosted, in the various events that followed, many Italian and Chinese projects and delegates. “The quality of the projects developed in recent years encourages us to keep on going and consolidate our partnerships”, she explained. “Next year there will be the tenth edition of the Sino-Italian Exchange Event. It’ll be open a new decade of collaboration in our exchanges and 10 is a special number in China that indicates perfection. So we hope, thanks to the signing of a new memorandum with the TAST, that our path will continue rewarding each others”.
Contursi said that “Tianjin is a city that takes on strategic importance to Italy for the new Silk Road, and is also why we brought here universities, research centres and enterprises. A large delegation, important and qualified on topics such as smart cities, medicine, ecology, advanced search, ict and all areas in which it has declined the event.
“A delegation – said the head of BIC addressing the Chinese delegation – of cultural and intellectual resources that we bring as a gift here as well as you did with us”.
Before closing the opening ceremony, the President of Quale Medicina 2000 Francesco Naccarella took the floor. “We work for 15 years with China – he told – with the TEDA Hospital, the Second Medical University and the Chest Hospital of Tianjin, just to name a few. The Thirteenth Five-Year Plan of China aims growth through innovation and welfare. The Italian health service is one of the top health care in the world, with 8.1% of GDP realize a fair and sustainable service than do the United States with 17%. We hope that the Chinese government might think to cooperate with us and move in the same direction, and I want to remember that next March is already planned a meeting between our respective ministers of health”, concluded Naccarella.
Campania Region and Tianjin Municipality demonstrated unity of purpose in recognizing the importance of science and technology for development. For this reason, at the end of the ceremony, the City of Science and TAST have signed a memorandum of understanding on the issues of blue growth, technologies for the protection of cultural heritage, manufacturing 4.0, energy and environmental protection, medicine and sustainable mobility.
Once finished the first stage of the day’s work has started the B2B sessions and the Italy-China seminar on post graduate know how, training and technologies transfer in medical sciences, especially oncological and cardiology sciences, that confirmed the success, in terms of interest and participation, of the China-Italy Science, Technology and Innovation Week 2015.
