The Sincrotrone Trieste “Elettra” Laboratory is hosting the opening session. Serbian Minister of Education and Science, Mr. Zarko Obradovic, will chair the meeting. Italy will be represented by the Undersecretary of Education, University and Research, Mr. Giuseppe Pizza.
Ministers, Deputy Ministers and other governmental representatives and of the European Commission will meet, starting from 9.30 a.m., at the Sincrotrone Trieste “Elettra” Laboratory,one of the largest and most advanced laboratories worldwide, dedicated to supporting research in Materials Science. The meeting aims at promoting research and development in Central and Eastern European countries, by strengthening the links between the investments in research infrastructures and the development of common research and innovation policies connected to the European Union Framework. Special focus will be devoted to the opportunities for synergies among the scientific communities in CEI countries and the Elettra and Fermi Laboratories.
As part of the CEI mission - Regional Cooperation for European Integration - collaboration in the field of science is one of the priorities of the Organization. Through various projects and activities, the CEI promotes and facilitates research collaborations between research communities of its Member States, in particular by orientating the institutions cooperating in the framework of the CEI Science and Technology Network (which includes seven centres of excellence of the "Trieste System"), focusing primarily on the mobility of researchers. In addition, through the CEI Research Fellowship Programme (CERES), co-funded by the European Union, the CEI provides a unique opportunity for advanced training in the centres mentioned above, especially for young researchers from Eastern European and Balkan countries.
Also in the Area Science Park, the delegations will visit the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), which already sees the participation of 11 out of the 18 Member States of the CEI, in view of further enlargements.
The programme also foresees a discussion on Future Generation of Biofuels, that represents a priority for any long-term strategy in the field of renewable and environmentally-friendly energy sources. In this context, a report on the prospects of biofuels in the CEI region will be presented to the Delegations. The report has been commissioned by the CEI to the prestigious Agency Bloomberg / New Energy Finance in London. From its side, the CEI Secretariat will submit to the Delegations for evaluation a draft integrated regional project of research and development in the next-generation biofuels strategic sector (i.e. those produced from agricultural waste and wood sector or algae) with a goal to catalyze financial resources in respect of different EU instruments in place. About a hundred centres of excellence in the 18 CEI Member States have already been identified and could involve - in this project - a virtual mass participation of over a thousand scientists. Final Programme