PEOPLE
INFN'S 2017 STARTS
WITH A VIEW TO CHANGE
Interview with Fernando Ferroni, INFN President since 2011
“Time of change” is the motto with which, at the Legnaro National Laboratories, Ferroni opened the INFN 2017-2019 three-years plan seminar last December. Change, already at the end of the year, marked by completion of the selection procedures for the recruitment of 73 new researchers and by approval by the government of the decree simplifying the activities of public research bodies. Of course, the scientific challenges which in the course of 2017 will engage INFN are many: from the research on gravitational waves with the Virgo interferometer, to high energy physics at CERN, which will be able to count on the outstanding performance of the LHC, as well as ongoing research at the Gran Sasso National Laboratories on dark matter and neutrinos. The high level contribution of INFN in numerous international collaborations is highlighted by the managerial roles of INFN researchers and by the coordination in the realization of vital parts of the scientific apparatuses. In addition, in the near future it will be fully launched the administrative reorganization process started in the second half of 2016 with the entry into office of the new Director General of the INFN, Bruno Quarta.
Time of change, therefore. Which of the transformations in progress will mostly affect the institute's future?
The most important change for the year which has just begun is certainly in the implementation decree on the operation of research institutes. This guarantees us independence in general, especially in the field of personnel recruitment. As a first important step, at the end of 2016 we completed the selection procedures to hire, after years of hiring freezes, 73 new researchers, of which 58 experimental and 15 theoretical, who will bring new life to the institute's research activities. An expectation of renewal that also depends on the type of new researchers hired: about a third of the winners come from abroad and this will undoubtedly result in an infusion of innovation and variety in the mentality and way of working, which can only enrich us. We have decided to encourage their training and growth with the award of an initial grant and we
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NEWS
INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS
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SPACE
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APPOINTMENTS
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RESEARCH
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