Italy and the United States boast a high degree of cooperation in the fields of science and technology. The legal foundation is set by the Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation signed in Rome on April 1, 1988, which is subject to triennal review. The agreement covers the areas of greatest interest to both countries and all major agencies and research institutions. To view the current agreement, click here.
The Embassy of Italy in Washington, Office of Scientific and Technological Cooperation oversees these issues and is responsible for facilitating the internationalization of Italian research and for developing bilateral relations between the two countries.
- To contact the Office for Scientific and Technological Cooperation in Washington, click here
- To learn more about the role and location of Scientific Attachés in Italian Embassies around the world, click here.
For the 2019-21 term, these are the four scientific priority sectors for the two Countries, each with a bilateral working group:
- Health and life sciences:
- i) Precision medicine in oncology and related biotechnologies
- ii) Innovative technologies for health in aging (including robotics)
- Physics and Astrophysics
- Resilience to natural disasters
- Information and Communications Technology (ICT), advanced materials and manufacturing, cybersecurity, quantum technologies and quantum communications.
The presence in the United States of more than 15,000 Italian researchers, according to NSF data, and a number of Italian professors in American universities that have grown by more than 6% a year over the last decade (OECD source) is a real resource and an opportunity to strengthen bilateral cooperation. The Embassy plays a role of liaison and enhancement between the many Italian scientists and the research institutions and various institutions. Among the associations of Italian researchers operating in the United States, ISSNAF (Italian Scientists and Scholars in North America Foundation) stands out as the largest and most widespread in the territory; it organizes an annual lifetime achievement award and awards for young investigators, and works closely with the Embassy, which promoted its birth and supports its activities
Relevant Italian Agencies and Ministries:
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation – MAECI
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation – MAECI – Directorate General for Country Promotion
- Ministry of Education, University, and Research – MIUR
- Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Activities, and Tourism – MIBACT
- Ministry of the Environment and Protection of Land and Sea
- Italian Space Agency – ASI
- National Council on Research – CNR
- National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development – ENEA
- National Institute of Mathematics – INDAM
- National Institute of Astrophysics – INAF
- National Institute of Nuclear Physics – INFN
- National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology – INGV
- National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics
- National Institute of Health – ISS
- Italian Institute of Technology- IIT
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