H E Alessandro Prunas, Ambassador of Italy to Qatar.
A number of Italian and Qatari universities and medical institutions have begun embarking on joint researches on the COVID-19 pandemic, H E Alessandro Prunas, Ambassador of Italy to Qatar, has said.
“At this challenging time, more than ever it is key to team up in the search of a cure. I am pleased that Italian and Qatari universities and medical institutions have already started to jointly research on the genomics of patients severely affected by the virus,” said H E Ambassador Prunas in a statement. “Qatar Foundation Research, Development and Innovation research projects are in contact with some major Italian genetists to study data and understand if there are genetic patterns in the COVID-19 pandemic. Qatar Foundation Hospital Mater Olbia in Sardinia is working with the Hamad Medical Corporation to explore if plasma from recovered patients can be of any help for new therapies. These forms of cooperation pave the way to new important opportunities of mutual benefits,” he added.
“Scientific diplomacy plays a growing role in our strategic partnership with Qatar and we look forward to broaden the fields of collaborations between our universities and research centres,” he stressed.
H E the Ambassador was speaking on the occasion of the occasion of the Italian Research Day in the World which is celebrated by the Italian diplomatic-consular network abroad on April 15 every year, coinciding with the anniversary of the birth of Leonardo Da Vinci. It is an initiative established by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health. The 2020 edition falls at a crucial historical moment, when Italy and the whole world are confronted with the COVID-19 pandemic. The Italian Research Day in the World allows reflecting on the importance of scientific collaboration in the search for a cure.
On this occasion, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched a communication campaign to enhance the Italian excellence in the scientific sector and to stress the crucial implications of scientific research for human development, not only in the medical field, and for innovation in commercial terms.
The campaign, which will be promoted in Qatar through the Twitter and Facebook accounts of the Embassy of Italy in Doha, starts with a video of the Counsellor of the Minister of Health for Italy’s relations with international health organizations, Professor Walter Ricciardi.
Speaking on the situation in Italy, Prof. Ricciardi explained that Italian science and technology, the National Health Service and the Public Health System have reacted strongly in the COVID-19 emergency. The Italian Government has decided to put the research and science at the heart of the decision-making process. Italy was the first country in the world to adopt very tough measures such as the lockdown of the entire national territory thanks to the accurate analysis and evidence made by scientists. Now it’s time to think about the future: researchers, healthcare professionals, physicians and scientists around the world need to work together to develop treatments and find a new vaccine to defeat COVID-19.
