ESOF 2020: kick off

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The Opening Ceremony of ESOF2020 was held at the Auditorium of the new Trieste Convention Centre. The welcome address, by Stefano Fantoni the Champion: “Science cannot exempt itself from being a protagonist in everything is happening. Don’t be afraid of knowledge. We must not be afraid of knowledge especially in times of crisis, because it is precisely in these moments that we grasp the profound value, constitutive of modernity, of an approach to reality based on trust in the ability of human beings to investigate and know the world.” Gaetano Manfredi, Minister of University and Research, said that "A technological society evolves rapidly, and it is necessary to put in place all possible resources to train citizens with a greater scientific culture, who know not only how to use modern technologies but also better understand their potential." The ceremony was also attended by: Fabiola Gianotti, physicist and CERN Director-General, Fabrizio Nicoletti, Director General of Innovation and Research, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and, remotely, Ilaria Capua, virologist and professor at the University of Florida, Sanja Damjanovic, Minister of Science of Montenegro and Emmanuel Nzimande, Minister of Science and Technology of South Africa.

The EuroScience Open Forum is the most relevant European event focused on the intersection between science, technology, society and politics. Created in 2004 by the nonprofit association EuroScience, the biennial forum offers a unique opportunity for interaction and debate between scientists, innovators, politicians, entrepreneurs, communications operators, and citizens. Trieste has been named the European City of Science 2020 and is hosting the ninth edition of ESOF.