\ Innovazione \ Trieste, September 20, 2024: Press Conference for the Third Edition of the Big Science Business Forum at Palazzo della Presidenza, Friuli Venezia Giulia Region

The detailed program for the third edition of the Big Science Business Forum (BSBF2024), which will be held in Trieste from October 1-4, 2024, at the Generali Convention Center in Porto Vecchio, is now available on the official website, bsbf2024.org. The program is continually updated. A press conference to present the event will take place in Trieste on September 20 at 11:30 AM at the Palazzo della Presidenza of the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, located in Piazza Unità d’Italia.

BSBF 2024, focused on research and business, will bring together Europe’s leading scientific infrastructures and international high-tech companies, along with innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The forum aims to broaden future prospects for creating a European Big Science market, valued at approximately €10 billion annually. These funds are managed through public tenders and international contracts directly overseen by Big Science Organizations (BSOs), following specific rules and procedures that participants will have the opportunity to explore during the four-day event.

Following the previous editions in Copenhagen and Granada, BSBF 2024 is organized by the ten leading European Big Science Organisations (BSOs), including CERN, ESA, ESO, ESS, ESRF, European XFEL, FAIR, F4E, ILL, and SKAO, with the support of PERIIA, the pan-European network of national Industry Liaison Officers (ILOs). The event is hosted by the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia in collaboration with the ILO Network Italia, which includes representatives from CNR, ENEA, INAF, INFN, Area Science Park of Trieste, and PromoTurismo FVG. The Italian bid to host the 2024 edition of BSBF was supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy, the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security, and the Ministry of University and Research, as well as by the Municipality of Trieste, the University of Trieste, the Venezia Giulia Chamber of Commerce Gorizia Trieste, and the Central European Initiative.

BSBF 2024 Program Highlights

The forum will kick off on October 1 with registration and satellite meetings organized by international entities and institutions outside the BSBF framework. It will conclude on October 4 with visits to research centers located in Italy and Slovenia. Starting October 2, the program includes six plenary sessions featuring institutions, scientific leaders, and representatives from the ten Big Science Organizations and both national and international industries. Additionally, 16 parallel sessions will delve into technical aspects and methods for enhancing industrial involvement in Big Science, particularly for companies from Central and Eastern Europe. Over 80 speakers from across Europe are expected to participate, and registration for research center visits is already open.

The research sectors involved in the event include nuclear fusion, space observatories and telescopes, particle accelerators, laser infrastructures, and space exploration.

Last Call for BSBF: Deadline August 31, 2024 and September, 13 for Women in Big Science Awards

To highlight technological advancements, promote economic investments, and facilitate business opportunities in the Big Science market across Europe, several tenders have been issued, leading to the involvement of new SMEs (26 selected from 14 different countries, including two from Italy) and the selection of several affiliated scientific organizations, known as Affiliated Big Science Organizations (ABSOs). Nine organizations from five countries, including three from Italy, have been chosen: Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO), Divertor Tokamak Test (DTT), ESS Bilbao (Strategic Hub for Neutron Science and Technologies), Elettra – Sincrotrone Trieste, International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility – Demo Oriented Neutron Source (IFMIF-DONES), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Multipurpose Hybrid Research Reactor for High-tech Applications (MYRRHA), and Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI ERIC).

The final call, titled Technology Transfer Track, is open until August 31, focusing on showcasing technology transfer experiences and proposals across different Big Science sectors. Additionally, the deadline for international organizations to submit their candidacies for the Women in Big Science Forum (WBSF) Recognition Awards is September, 13.

BSBF 2024 in Numbers

The BSBF 2024 expects to host at least 1,000 delegates from 500 organizations, with 150 exhibition stands, including 14 national pavilions. Alongside Italy, 19 other countries will be represented, including Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, China, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, and Slovenia.

Sponsor and Registration

Gold sponsors of the event include AVS Added Value Solutions, DANIELI, Fincantieri S.p.A. and illycaffè S.p.A. Silver sponsors are CADINOX, S.A. and GLP Intellectual Property Office. Bronze sponsors include DELTA-TI IMPIANTI S.P.A. Serco Italia SpA and T-Systems International GmbH.

Registration to participate in the event is open, with prior registration required on the dedicated page of the official BSBF Trieste 2024 website. For further information, please visit the official BSBF Trieste 2024 website, where the official app can also be downloaded (IOS e Android).

Final Presentation in Italy : September 5, 2024, Confindustria Turin

Previous presentations were held with Confindustria Alto Adriatico in Trieste in November 2023 and Confindustria Udine in January 2024, as well as at the University of Tuscia in January 2024 and at the IUPAP Industry & Education Projects in Trieste in March 2024. BSBF was also presented in Brussels on April 11, 2024, at the Italian-Belgian Chamber of Commerce, and participated in international conferences such as the EPS Forum in Berlin on March 26, 2024, and the Deep Tech Atelier in Riga on May 17, 2024. The final national industrial presentation is scheduled to be held in Turin on September 5 at the Unione Industriali headquarters.

Throughout 2023 and the first half of 2024, the BSBF2024 organizing team has provided hundreds of European entrepreneurs the opportunity to visit the infrastructures of major European Big Science Organizations, including Fusion for Energy (F4E) at ITER Organization in October 2023 (Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, France), EUROPEAN XFEL in January 2024 (Schenefeld, Germany), CERN in February 2024 (Geneva, Switzerland), and ESA on March 15, 2024 (Noordwijk, Netherlands). Several webinars, such as “Women in BigScience Projects“, dedicated to the presence of women in Big Science, are also available online.