Fondazione Marche gives 1 million euros of funding to research
Nine young people selected by ISSNAF to study in the United States
Ancona, 25/09/2012. A concrete benefit to boost innovation in the Marche. Fondazione Marche, a non-profit foundation, presented the 9 winning recipients of the Molecular Medicine Scholarships..
The project funder, Fondazione Marche, worked in partnership with ISSNAF, (Italian Scientists and Scholars in North America Foundation) and struck an agreement with the Marche Regional Government and the Polytechnic University of Marche.
Attending the scholarship presentation of the selected researchers were:
Francesco Merloni, Chairman Fondazione Marche
Francesco Profumo Minister of Education, Universities and Research
Vito Campese, Chairman ISSNAF
Piero Anversa, Representative Tutor-Director of Brigham and Women’s Hospital Harvard University in Boston
Gian Mario Spacca, President Marche Regional Government
Marco Pacetti, Rector Polytechnic University of Marche.
The meeting was chaired by the Deputy Director of Tg1, Gennaro Sangiuliano.
Fondazione Marche has leveraged private capital to fund Italy’s biggest national post-doctoral research programme in the field of molecular medicine.
The awards will comprise total of nine two-year scholarships to be held in the US at major research centres.
“The resources made available by the Foundation”, – said Francesco Merloni – “amount to approximately 1,000,000 euros and the goal of the project is to develop skills of the highest level in the region to create a centre of excellence in molecular medicine. The knowledge will be made available in the field of regional healthcare and enterprise university research units, thus improving the opportunities for start-ups in the sector. We want to emphasise that the Foundation’s precise strategy is to generate initiatives for the social and economic development of our region through philanthropically-inclined activities that serve as virtuous examples, confident that this will be a help in solving the problems of our region. In the Scholarship Project over 30 candidates were selected in a process based on merit alone.
The programme was conceived and defined as part of an agreement with the Marche Region and Polytechnic University of Marche and was made possible thanks to the active collaboration of ISSNAF, a USA non-profit Foundation made up of Italian and North American professors and scientists.
Vito Campese says: : “The ISSNAF Foundation is proud to be involved in this project, an example of effective public-private collaboration and a foretaste of new incentives and ideas that will benefit not just the region but the country as a whole. On behalf of the Italian researchers in our network who are proud to contribute to the development of Italy through this project, I wish to thank Fondazione Marche, the Marche Regional Government and the Polytechnic University of Marche for this admirable initiative.”
ISSNAF has made its organisation and members available for tutoring tasks and the selection of the most important and qualified laboratories, research centres and universities in the United States.
The thirty-plus participating candidates were selected in the USA and chosen by the tutors designated by ISSNAF, who will support the research fellows in the programmed activities.
The importance of the initiative lies in the quality and quantity of human, financial and scientific resources and the exclusively merit-based criteria used in making selections.
The winners of the Call will carry out their research under the supervision of ISSNAF-associated scientists in the capacity as tutors in centres at Harvard, New York, Boston, Miami, Houston and Ohio.
The nine young Marche scholars will comprise seven females and two males:
Chiara Ardiccioni from Macerata, tutor Filippo Mancia, institute Columbia University
Marica Bordicchia from Ancona, tutor Camillo Ricordi, institute Diabetes Research Institute
Lucia Casadei from Urbino, tutor Carlo M Croce, institute Ohio State University
Roberta Censi from Fermo, tutor Mauro Ferrari, institute The Methodist Hospital Research Institute
Bruna Corradetti from Ancona, tutor Mauro Ferrari, institute The Methodist Hospital Research Institute
Francesca D’Addio from Fano (PU), tutor Paolo Fiorina, institute Boston Children’s Hospital
Cristian Loretelli from Ancona, tutor Pier Paolo Pandolfi, institute Beth Israel Deaconess Cancer Center
Davide Sartini from Falconara Marittima (AN), tutor Michele Pagano, institute NYU Cancer Institute
Fiorenza Valeriani from Grottazzolina (FM), tutor Piero Anversa, institute Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Columbia University
Diabetes Research Institute
Ohio State University
The Methodist Hospital Research Institute
Boston Children’s Hospital
Beth Israel Deaconess Cancer Center
NYU Cancer Institute
Brigham and Women’s Hospital