University of Trieste Vice Rector Valter Sergo has been awarded a prestigious academic honour by the University of Panama: the Faculty of Business Sciences conferred him an honorary professorship during the Congreso Internacional en Investigación y Ciencias Empresariales, which took place a few days ago in Panama City.

Prof. Sergo received the professorship ‘in recognition of his personal merit, his role as a researcher and his valuable contribution in the field of research and technology transfer, which supported the development of the Italian entrepreneurial ecosystem’.

Sergo, a chemist and lecturer in Chemical Foundations of Technologies at the Department of Engineering and Architecture, works in the field of spectroscopy and was awarded one of the very first industry-funded university chairs in Italy.

In addition, by appointment of the regional council he was the president of BIC incubatori FVG, and vice-president of the board of directors of Rachael, a technology consultancy company in the field of Big Data, in which UniTS, SISSA and SWG own a share.

On the day of the awards ceremony, Prof. Sergo delivered a lectio magistralis focused on the role of science in the decision-making processes and strategic management of companies.

‘This recognition,’ commented Pro-rector Sergo, ’transcends the individual, and is in fact the result of the University of Trieste’s long and dedicated commitment to the field of Science Diplomacy. It is no coincidence that the role of UniTS has been recognised and has been made to grow and mature, first and foremost by the Italian ambassador of Panama, Fabrizio Nicoletti, whose previous post was head of science diplomacy at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI).’

After the conference and this prestigious award, the Vice Rector's trip to Panama is continuing through meetings with academic authorities, professors, researchers and students of the University of Panama, with the aim of further strengthening the ties between Italy and Panama and promoting new academic collaborations.

Subsequently, from 23rd to 25th October, also in Panama, Valter Sergo, Rodolfo Taccani (Fluid Machinery) and Giovanni Comelli (Experimental Physics of Matter and Applications) will take part in the 9th International Conference on Engineering, Science and Technology (IESTEC), which will be preceded by a visit to the Technological University of Panama, organiser of the event, on 22nd October. 

Panama is of central importance in Italy's scientific and technological cooperation programmes, and Italy will be the invited country of honour at the IESTEC Conference. The role of the University of Trieste therefore aims to consolidate relations with the Central American country, strengthening the exchange of knowledge and the promotion of Italian excellence in research and innovation. 

The collaboration process was launched last February, through the agreement signed between the University of Trieste and the University of Panama.