The Association for Scientific Exchanges between Austria and Italy (Associazione per gli Scambi Scientifici Austria Italia, ASSAI), which brings together Italian academics and researchers living and working in Austria, was launched on 4 June 2024, at seat of the Italian Embassy in Vienna, after a 2-year intense work. The event was presided by the Italian Ambassador to Austria Giovanni Pugliese and Italian participants included representatives of three Italian research institutes supervised by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR): Prof. Maria Chiara Carrozza, President of the National Research Council (CNR), Prof. Antonio Zoccoli, President of the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN) and Prof. Caterina Petrillo, President of Area Science Park.
ASSAI will play a crucial role in the promotion of inter-university cooperation and scientific exchange between Italy and Austria, in particular as by operating as a think-tank platform to foster the transfer of experience and good practice implemented and promoted by associates to the Italian and Austrian scientific systems.
Austria is an ecosystem that is particularly interesting for Italian researchers: the scientific community of Italians in this country ranks second after the German one, being the first by number in the German-speaking country.
