The Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Massimo Dell’Utri, travelled to L’Aquila today for an institutional visit to the Gran Sasso Tech Foundation (GST) and its two founding institutions, the Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI) and Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales, 67%, and Leonardo, 33%.
The visit began at the GSSI Rectorate, where Undersecretary Dell’Utri was welcomed by Rector Paola Inverardi and by the President and Director General of the Gran Sasso Tech Foundation, Eugenio Coccia and Alessandro Pajewski. During the meeting, the Foundation’s and the GSSI’s main areas of activity in space research and international advanced education were presented. The GSSI and GST are involved in collaborations with research centres and space agencies in numerous countries, including partnerships with the Italian Space Agency and the IILA – the Italo-Latin American International Organisation – within the framework of strengthening scientific and technological cooperation between Italy and the countries of Latin America. The educational initiatives include SpaceRaise, the international school promoted by GST and GSSI on artificial intelligence, robotics and geospatial data for space applications. Its latest edition attracted more than 280 participants from 61 countries to L’Aquila, confirming the city’s role as an international meeting point for research and education in the space sector.
The delegation then moved to Collemaggio, where the Space and Earth Innovation Campus (SEIC) is currently being built. The new campus for applied research and technology transfer is being developed on the site of the former psychiatric hospital, a short distance from the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio. It will house a research and development laboratory dedicated to space technologies, together with spaces for education and support for production chains. The Undersecretary was shown the laboratories currently being fitted out.
The visit concluded at the Thales Alenia Space facility in L’Aquila, where the Undersecretary was received by Fabio Occhioni, Director of the facility. The site’s industrial activities were presented there—including the design and production of electronic equipment, antennas and composite-material structures for space applications—along with the ongoing synergies with the Gran Sasso Tech Foundation in technological development and space qualification projects.
At the end of the visit, Undersecretary Dell’Utri commented: “I am pleased to have had the opportunity today to visit this international and European centre of excellence and to explore issues of increasing importance in the international context. The collaboration between the Gran Sasso Tech Foundation, the Gran Sasso Science Institute and Thales Alenia Space has given rise to an extraordinary platform of excellence for technological innovation in our country. Thanks to their virtuous interaction, these organisations play a central role in the strategic collaboration that the Italian Space Agency (ASI) has developed with the space agencies of Latin American countries through the partnership established with the Italo-Latin American Institute (IILA).”