THE ITALIAN NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR NUCLEAR PHYSICS (INFN) · 2 Alessia D’Orazio Alpeuregio Summer...

Alessia D’OrazioTHE ITALIAN NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR NUCLEAR PHYSICS (INFN)

Alpeuregio Summer School in Institution and Policies of the EU - 2016

7 July 2016

Scientific Officer - INFN Liaison Office in Bruxelles

2

Alessia D’Orazio Alpeuregio Summer School 2016

The National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN) ✦ It is an Italian research organisation, founded in 1951, under the supervision of the

Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR).

✦ INFN promotes, coordinates and conducts theoretical and experimental research in the fields of subnuclear, nuclear and astroparticle physics and develops the relevant technology for use in this sector.

!✦ INFN is also involved in the applications

resulting from fundamental research. Such applications have a significant impact on society and the national territory and represent an important stimulus for technological innovation in the country.

INFN lines of research

http://home.infn.it/en/

http://home.infn.it/en/

3


ABOUT THE INFN

TIFPA - Trento Institute for Fundamental Physics

and Applications!

Result of the collaboration with INFN, the University of Trento, the Bruno Kessler Foundation and the Trento Province Agency for Proton Therapy (ATreP)!Projects planned in the field of space research, s u p e r c o m p u t i n g , b i o m e d i c i n e a n d photonics

approx. 5000 researchers (∼ 2000 of its own and ∼3000 from associated universities)

CNAO - Italian National Centre for Oncological Hadron Therapy , in Lombardy, co-directed by INFN

present in 16 region of Italy

4


!✦ important player in the main worldwide scientific

projects:scientists from INFN frequently called upon to lead or co-direct major international experiments and projects

✦ presence (signed agreements) in 5 continents and more than 30 countries

✦ INFN’s strong global presence also reflects the deeply rooted international scope of scientific collaboration in the domain of physics research

ABOUT THE INFN

!✦ training of young people in the fields of basic and applied research; ✦ disseminate scientific culture, especially amongst young people; pursues scientific

excellence by involving national industry in the development of leading edge tools;

✦ intensifies the interaction between research work and the transfer of knowledge in order to increase the competitiveness of Italian companies at an international level;

5


INFN R&D ACTIVITIES

Roughly speaking there are 2 kind of R&D activities ✦ Core High Energy Physics (HEP): R&D mainly finalised to large accelerator and

astroparticle experiments and R&D for accelerators/detectors ✦ Interdisciplinary: research applied to medicine, biology, life science, cultural

heritage, environment, ICT, High Performance Computing, space, security…

6


INFN COLLABORATION WITH INDUSTRY -

IMPACT ON SOCIETY AND ECONOMY

✦ Biomedicine ✦ Acceleration technology for medical and

industrial applications ✦ Radio pharmacy

✦ Environmental studies through nuclear techniques

✦ Information Technology for citizen ✦ Product innovation involving advanced

electronic solutions and sensors ✦ Dosimetry ✦ Radioprotection ✦ Cultural Heritage studies and protection

7


DEFINITION OF LOBBYING

“Activities carried out with the objective of influencing the policy formulation and decision making process of the European institutions”

8


LOBBYING IN BRUSSELS

!✦ The fragmented nature of the EU’s institutional structure provides multiple

channels through which organised interests may seek to influence policymaking !

✦ The most important institutional targets are the Commission, the Council, and the European Parliament.

✤ The Commission has a monopoly on the initiative in Community decision-making. Since it has the power to draft initiatives, it makes it ideally suited as an arena for interest representation.

9


ASPECTS OF LOBBYING

10


LOBBYING ACTIVITIES

!✦ Service functions: provision of specific services for their members (e.g. source of information

about EU legislation, action, budgetary issues, decision-making and policy implementation in a specific field).

!✦ Lobbying functions: attempt to influence decision-making processes from outside (e.g. by

meeting commission officials or participating in public hearings). !✦ Decision-making functions: attempt to influence decisions from within (e.g. by direct

participation in the decision-making process through expert committees; selecting and formulating research project proposals).

!✦ Implementation functions: participate in policy implementation (e.g. by taking over

management functions in programme implementation). !✦ Networking functions: networking with other stakeholders to provide EU dimension for the

sector.

11


When scientists and policymakers talk about funding for scientific research, they typically divide it into two categories: basic research and applied research. ✦ Applied research addresses specific, immediate problems and strives to provide

specific, commercially-implementable solutions. ✦ Basic research investigates broader questions in order to build up the existing

body of scientific knowledge. Unlike applied researchers, basic researchers aren’t expected to churn out commercially viable R&D products. When we talk about scientists’ unbridled curiosity and their passion for esoteric projects, we’re usually talking about basic research. The results of these experiments may not be immediately applicable to any given problem, but the insights gained from these projects help other scientists further down the road. Since basic research takes a long time to yield economic dividends, it’s almost exclusively funded through government programs.

!Lobbying for ‘applied research’ can be much easier than lobbying for ‘basic

research’

LOBBYING FOR SCIENCE: MAIN ISSUE

FROM MY POINT OF VIEW/1

12


Sometimes non-scientists (including politicians) tend to favor applied research*. And it could make sense that they think that way. After all, taxpayers want to see practical returns on their science investment. Why not encourage scientists to spend more time working on practical problems like cancer treatment and less time on things that just few people cares about like working on the Higgs boson? If they want more money, why don’t they just invent something profitable and let the free market fund their projects?

The thing that, sometimes, policymakers don’t seem to immediately perceive about scientific innovation is that while applied research might yield more short-term economic growth, basic research pays bigger dividends in the long run. It’s an instant versus delayed gratification problem. A lot of basic research investigations may not pan out in terms of producing new commercial products, but a single breakthrough in basic research can spawn an entire generation of innovations across both applied and basic research.



13


For people who are actively working in the field, the connection between basic and applied research is obvious. But for outside observers, I’m not so sure… Few examples: • Did you know that GPS wouldn't work without Einstein's theory of relativity? • Did you know that the World Wide Web has its foundation at CERN (European

Organisation for Nuclear Research)? They had been looking for a way for physicists to share information around the world without all using the same types of hardware and software.

!Our job as scientists is to convince politicians and research administrators, particularly the “economic rationalists”, that there is both a financial return and an even greater social benefit in funding, not only applied research but also basic research, and…

…making people aware of the potentiality of physics research



THE ITALIAN NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR NUCLEAR PHYSICS (INFN) · 2 Alessia D’Orazio Alpeuregio Summer...

Documents

Transcript of THE ITALIAN NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR NUCLEAR PHYSICS (INFN) · 2 Alessia D’Orazio Alpeuregio Summer...