ICTP Hosts Major International Physics Forum

Research managers and decision makers from industry, academia and government will converge at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy, from 16 to 19 April for a forum on research and policy issues affecting the physical sciences community.

The 2012 Industrial Physics Forum (IPF) is organized by ICTP in partnership with the American Institute of Physics (AIP) and in collaboration with Trieste Next - European Innovation and Science Research Forum (taking place from 28 to 30 September 2012). The IPF offers participants opportunities to learn about innovations in the field, to interface with the people driving them, and to strategize about directions for future economic and scientific progress.

The theme for the forum is "Capacity Building for Industrial Physics in Developing and Emerging Economies".  Its goal is to enlarge the scope of applied and industrial research by promoting links between scientists and industry, particularly in light of the continuing globalization of advanced technological development. This interface is a crucial step in bridging science and society, leading to sustainable technological advancement or 'capacity building'.

Another important forum goal, according to forum co-director Philip W. Hammer of AIP, concerns participants from developing countries. "Our aim is to increase the participants' ability to lead efforts that strengthen the role played by physics in economic development in their home countries, and in particular, at their home institutions," he says.

IPFs are held annually by the AIP, the goal of which is to build bridges between the industrial and academic physics communities in order to expose each to needs and capabilities of the other, but with particular focus on the technical and workforce needs of industry.

This is the first IPF held outside of the United States, and according to ICTP scientist and 2012 IPF co-director Joe Niemela, ICTP was the ideal organization to host the event.

"ICTP, which is a member of the AIP's Corporate Associates, was a natural partner for the first-ever IPF to be held outside of the US, given its nearly 50 year history of fostering high level scientific research and development around the globe and the development of a vast network of scientists, with special emphasis on countries with emerging economies," Niemela explains.

The forum includes a "Frontiers of Physics" session, featuring scientists who are making seminal contributions to leading edge research, such as eminent astronomer Sir Martin Rees of Cambridge University, who will talk about "From Big Bang to Biosphere: Progress and Prospects in Space Science". William Colglazier, Science Advisor to the United States Secretary of State, will be in attendance during the forum and will also deliver a keynote address on "Science and Technology: Building Innovative Societies and 21st Century Diplomacy" during the forum banquet.

For the full Forum programme, visit its website.