Italian Research Day in the World

Italian Research Day in the World was established last year on April 15th, the anniversary of the birth of Leonardo da Vinci, the emblem of Italian genius and inventiveness. This initiative was launched by the Ministry of Education, University and Research in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health with the goal to promote the image of Italy as a country that produces high-quality science and innovation.

Their talents deserve to be supported by adequate investments in research, which are investments in our own future and generators of wealth that will ensure a more prosperous and sustainable future for younger generations. (President Sergio Mattarella)

Poster for the short film "Impossible Interview With Leonardo" presented at the Italian Embassy in Helsinki

Italian Ambassador in DC, Armando Varricchio with Veronica Bindi and Barbara Marchetti, two Italian researchers and scientists living in the United States.

On the occasion of the second edition of this recurrence, President Sergio Mattarella gave a speech highlighting the important contribution of Italian innovators to the wellbeing and competitiveness of their country. “Their talents deserve to be supported by adequate investments in research, which are investments in our own future and generators of wealth that will ensure a more prosperous and sustainable future for younger generations,” he proclaimed.

The President remarked on how Italian scientists and researchers are involved in many of the world’s most significant international experiments and discoveries. Just to cite an example from a few days ago, Italian astronomers contributed to the groundbreaking project that led to the first-ever image of a black hole.

He went on to recall that the promotion of scientific research has always been amongst the objectives of the Italian Republic, ever since its constitution. “A particularly farsighted understanding, based on the unity of knowledge - humanistic and scientific - and now more relevant than ever, following the example of Leonardo,” commented the Italian head of state.

Italian Research Day in the World was celebrated across the globe, through initiatives carried out by Italian institutions abroad, including a conference on Leonardo at the Italian Cultural Institute in Tokyo, a short film at the Italian Embassy in Finland, a talk at the Embassy in Dublin, and the photographic exhibition “Life as a Scientist” held by the Italian Embassy in Washington DC.

The latter, organized in association with the Bracco Foundation, is part of the “100 Women Against Stereotypes” initiative launched in 2016 by the Osservatorio di Pavia and the Gi.U.Li.A Journalist Association and features a series of portraits by the famous photographer Gerald Bruneau. The exhibition is aimed at dispelling the prejudice often associated with women’s work in science and technology and to inform the public of the achievements of Italian women in those fields.