The two-day series of meetings between Italy and the United States, hosted by the Embassy of Italy in Washington on 3–4 September, has concluded. The meetings aimed to strengthen and renew the long-standing scientific cooperation between the two countries and to take stock of joint initiatives in the field of fundamental physics. The annual event brought together the Italian delegation, including INFN President Antonio Zoccoli, the INFN executive board, Gran Sasso National Laboratories Director Ezio Previtali (joining remotely), Head of International Relations Office Veronica Buccheri, the Embassy’s Scientific Attaché Maurizio Biasini, and representatives from leading U.S. scientific institutions and agencies responsible for funding and promoting scientific research, such as the Department of Energy (DOE), the National Science Foundation (NSF), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab).
“The INFN leadership’s meetings in Washington confirm Italy’s status as a privileged partner of the United States in the most advanced sectors of physics and emerging technologies”, emphasised Marco Peronaci, Ambassador of Italy to the United States. “Scientific and technological cooperation between Italy and the U.S., two nations at the forefront of research, is a key driver of competitiveness for our economic systems and plays a crucial role in strengthening value chains and promoting innovation and growth”, he concluded.
Numerous high-priority topics for the physics community were addressed during the bilateral discussions, beginning with emerging technologies. The meetings covered the use of artificial intelligence solutions, advanced computing, and superconductivity for energy applications, and reviewed the progress of the quantum computer project led by Fermilab’s SQMS Center, for which INFN was the first non-U.S. partner. Significant attention was given to scientific programs focused on neutrino research, from the DUNE project in the U.S., where INFN is a partner, to the upcoming neutrinoless double-beta decay experiment, LEGEND, which INFN will host at its Gran Sasso National Laboratories.
Another key area of discussion centred on initiatives and activities related to accelerator and particle physics research, in which INFN has long been a historical partner and continues to play a fundamental role. Specifically, the meetings reviewed the current state of ongoing cooperation at CERN, the potential mutual benefits of future collaborations under the Future Circular Collider (FCC) project, and the progress of the Electron-Ion Collider (EIC), a new accelerator at BNL in New York designed to study the properties of nuclear matter. Lastly, but no less importantly, the discussions addressed the present and future of gravitational wave research. Italy and the United States, undisputed pioneers in the field thanks to the long-standing collaboration between the Virgo and LIGO research groups, have laid the groundwork for the creation of the largest international collaboration to date, involving gravitational wave observatories worldwide. This collaboration now looks ahead to next-generation detectors, such as the Einstein Telescope and the Cosmic Explorer.
“These days in Washington have highlighted not only the richness and strength of the scientific ties that unite Italy and the United States in fundamental physics research”, said INFN President Antonio Zoccoli, “but also the breadth of topics addressed and the number of shared projects, which confirm the value of our country’s technical and scientific expertise and the recognition of its role as a leading partner. The INFN community is proud to contribute its expertise to many of the most important scientific projects currently underway in the United States, and at the same time considers it essential to rely on the extraordinary capabilities of U.S. colleagues and their significant collaboration”.
