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ISSNAF Annual Event 2024: Strengthening Italy-U.S. collaborations in Research and Innovation

Washington Dc - November 14th, 2024.


"𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉, 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒍𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒂 𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑰𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒚, 𝒘𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒖𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅 𝒂 𝒗𝒊𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒏𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌. 𝑯𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒅𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒋𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒅, 𝒆𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒃𝒖𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆. 𝑶𝒖𝒓 𝒈𝒐𝒂𝒍 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓-𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒓 𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝑰𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒚, 𝒇𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒗𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒄𝒚𝒄𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒏𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏"


With these inspiring words, ISSNAF President Zuffada expressed heartfelt gratitude to Anna Maria Bernini, Italian Minister of Education and Research (MUR), during the 2024 ISSNAF Annual Event, held at the Embassy of Italy in Washington, D.C.


President Zuffada highlighted the growing ISSNAF mobility program aiming to enrich, accelerate and expand the training of the next generation of researchers and managers of R&D in Italy through exchange programs and collaborations. Last year the Italian Ministry of University and Research’s Internationalization Office approved funds towards the development of the infrastructure of a national-level system in support of the program. President Zuffada remarked that "This represents a new era for ISSNAF with an official recognition of the value that we offer to the Sistema Paese, and we are energized by its potential. In the past year we have made good progress on the development, increasing the number of universities which have signed up and already recruiting about 150 members interested in hosting Italian students"

The occasion was honored by a dedicated video message from Minister Bernini, emphasizing her recognition of and support for ISSNAF and its vibrant community.

The event was further enriched by the participation of Fausta Bergamotto, Undersecretary of State to the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy, and On. Di Sanzo, who highlighted the importance of fostering collaboration in innovation, science, and education.


ISSNAF renews its deepest thanks to the Embassy of Italy for their invaluable support of the Young Investigator Awards program and for generously hosting the event, that is honored to be under the High Patronage of the President of the Italian Republic.


Exploring the Promise and Risks of Generative AI

The event centered on the theme "Promises and Risks of Generative AI" sparking insightful conversations about the future of this transformative technology.

Vincenzo Del Monaco, Deputy Diplomatic Advisor to the Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy, and Eva Spina, Head of the Department for Digital, Connectivity, and New Technologies, opened the panel with compelling perspectives on Italy’s strategic approach to emerging AI-driven technologies.


The discussion featured prominent experts offering a spectrum of viewpoints:

  • Prof. Pietro Perona (Caltech) explored the promises and risks of generative AI.

  • Prof. Giorgio Quer (Scripps) highlighted the role of AI in wearable sensors and digital medicine.

  • Karen Perry (Intel) shared strategies for applying generative AI in healthcare.

  • Fil Menczer (Indiana University) investigated the misuse of AI in social media and communication.


Celebrating Scientific Excellence

The event paid tribute to Prof. Riccardo Dalla-Favera, the recipient of the 2024 ISSNAF Lifetime Achievement Award. Prof. Dalla-Favera is Professor of Microbiology & Immunology, Pathology & Cell Biology, Genetics & Development, Percy & Joanne Uris Professor of Clinical Medicine and Director, Institute for Cancer Genetics at Columbia University.

He was honored for his groundbreaking discoveries in characterizing the genetic factors of human B-cell lymphomas and uncovering novel pathways for cancer prevention and treatment.


Recognizing the Young Investigator Award Winners

Six rising researchers were celebrated with Young Investigator Awards, recognizing their contributions and potential to shape the future of their fields.


A Thriving Community

A heartfelt thank you to all who contribute to the ISSNAF vibrant community!



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