Esof 2020

Between September 2nd and September 6th, 2020, TCC hosted the ninth edition of the EuroScience Open Forum-ESOF, the biennial pan-European congress dedicated to scientific research and innovation, representing the largest interdisciplinary meeting on science and innovation in Europe.

The event took place in a dual format, both physical and virtual, involving over 4,500 delegates from more than 80 countries, including institutional representatives, the scientific community, journalists, and communicators, who participated in a total of five days of congress. The event covered themes related to the most recent innovations and discoveries in various fields of knowledge, from the sciences to humanities and social studies, presented and discussed in 150 total events, with over 700 speakers.

The event was organized with the support and funding of the European Union, and Trieste was chosen as the location, also due to its appointment as the European City of Science 2020. The city boasts a long tradition as a dynamic center for research, science, and innovation, focused on sustainable growth and development, with an impact extending beyond Italy to the rest of Europe and the developing world. Trieste is internationally renowned for its high concentration of scientific institutions. The city is home to more than 30 national and international research centers and companies, as well as 5,000 permanent foreign scientists, and approximately 13,000 students and researchers.

For the first time in its history, ESOF crossed the national borders of the hosting country. As a city in Central Europe, Trieste committed to strengthening ties with scientists, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and citizens from Central and Eastern Europe, taking a crucial step towards a truly open and inclusive Europe.

The ESOF 2020 conference took place in the exceptional area of Porto Vecchio, which was the commercial port of the Austro-Hungarian Empire for decades and is now an extraordinary site of architectural and industrial heritage that the Municipality of Trieste is revitalizing.