Asi, firing Battiston means scrapping science

THEremoval of Professor Roberto Battiston from the leadership of the Italian Space Agency it is a very serious act that transmits, by the political forces that today express the government of the country, a worrying and unacceptable message for those in Italy who are engaged in the world of research and the production of knowledge: the foundations of contemporary development. There are at least three reasons which lead us to judge such a decision as totally deplorable.

First. The figure of Roberto Battiston. A scientist who illustrated on an international level the high level that characterizes the world of Italian research. Battiston's scientific enterprise, nurtured in the prestigious University of Trento, established itself in Europe, the USA, Japan and, more recently, China, the most advanced places of aerospace research, and was inspired not only by the values profound which guide the attempts dedicated to the expansion of the knowledge of the Universe, to the awareness that the advanced technologies that are applied on the spatial plane can have formidable repercussions on the production system and on the governance of the environment. The decision to entrust him with the guidance of ASI was based on scientific merit and on his ability to translate research discoveries into innovative technologies for the benefit of economic and social growth. Putting aside such a precious resource has no reason.

Second. The ASI. The Italian Space Agency was established in 1988 by the unforgettable Minister of Research Antonio Ruberti and has carried out over time an important and recognized action of coordination of research activities on the knowledge of the Universe and on the experimentation of new space technologies . Thanks to Battiston's leadership, this structure fulfilled its role in the country's development strategies. During the presidency of the Trentino scientist, the Agency saw its budget increase and, in general, the resources allocated to the sector. Battiston's choices have made it possible both to preserve and update Italian excellence in more specifically space activities, and to accompany our industrial sector in the transition that has now become indispensable to seize the opportunities linked to the growing affirmation of the Space economy.

Furthermore, all this has contributed to strengthening one of the real assets on which Italy can count, i.e. a community of researchers - including many young people - which guarantees scientific quality in the national aerospace sector, facilitating its legitimate placement in the context global.

ASI is a public research body and not a government agency. The decision - unjustified from the point of view of merit - to replace the recognized scientific guide of this research community, with the appointment of a high military post, does not offer reasons and guarantees to give continuity to the precious work and scientific commitment of this institution and many others connected to it. And, above all, it constitutes a dangerous warning for the whole world of Italian research, which rightly makes scientific autonomy its indispensable flag.

Third. The choice made heavily calls into question the strategic value which, in recent years, space has shown that it can take on the development policies of the country and its territories. Space is an inexhaustible reservoir of innovative technologies and applications, capable of being used, on the one hand, to increase the competitiveness of our companies in various sectors of the production system (e.g. automotive, electronics, the supply chain connected to life sciences, agri-food, and even textiles and fashion) and, on the other, to address environmental, climatic and natural disasters issues in modern terms. Not to mention that, again, space constitutes a large deposit of data and information capable of satisfying a constantly growing demand for economic and social security.

In essence, in recent years it has determined the transition from the space industry to the space economy, in which the value that resides in the results of space research finds new and different applications in various sectors of the economy and society, giving life to a renewed production model that also sees private capitals interested in co-investing in often onerous research programs and medium-long time horizon. To accompany this transition of a strategic nature, in 2014 the Presidency of the Council of Ministers set up the Control Room for a national policy on Space. In addition to the ASI, the Ministries involved in the development and use of in-orbit systems, the industrial associations of the sector, some relevant Research Institutions and, for the first time, the local Administrations were called to participate in this informal body , through a representation of the Conference of Regions. The ASI has been an essential pivot of the Cabin's activity, contributing in a decisive way to the realization of the National Plan for the “Space Economy, to which central, regional and private public resources contribute. Three macro-initiatives at national level have been outlined, in agreement with ASI, with the important participation of 13 regions, in three different strategic areas: i) Satellite Telecommunications Systems, ii) Earth Observation Systems and iii ) Space Exploration Systems. The decision to promote cooperation between institutions and the pooling of resources was the decisive factor for the birth of a Space Economy Plan excerpt of which, last June, the first tender was published by ASI for an institutional satellite telecommunications system, making available almost one billion in new resources, half of which contributed by the private companies involved.

On the part of Europe, the path thus set up in our country is looked at as a model. We wonder what will become of everything built in recent years, if it proves that the world of research and the people who make up its soul are held in such little consideration. Unfortunately, thinking about it, we must conclude that here we also want to scrap Science.