On 27 March, the Italian Minister for Territorial Cohesion and the South, Claudio De Vincenti, visited the INFN Gran Sasso National Laboratories (LNGS). The visit of Minister De Vincenti provided the opportunity to present experiments that are on the cutting edge worldwide in areas such as neutrino physics and the search for dark matter. Among them, the DarkSide-20K project involves the construction of one of the most advanced experiments in the world at the Laboratories to search for dark matter, based on unique and innovative technology solutions.The overall project centred around NOA, the Nuova Officina Assergi (New Assergi Workshop), consists of several synergistic activities with scientific application in the DarkSide-20k experiment, but which at the same time put other laboratories into operation, which form a very advanced Technological
Hub, where companies and research centres can find cutting-edge technologies and equipment,
thereby strengthening the role of LNGS as a research infrastructure with a strong national impact.
“A formidable team for a formidable structure, pride of the country, not only of Abruzzo, which the Government is supporting - also financially - with conviction, starting with the Regional Pact”, Minister Claudio De Vincenti commented. “Here is the demonstration of Italian excellence in research that rightfully makes us major players in the international scientific network. And this is not all. The laboratories, in fact, combine, as latterly demonstrated by the DarkSide project, the highest expressions of pure research with the study of its applications to social purposes.” “The high-level professional skills and innovative technologies that the project requires for its implementation - Giovanni Lolli, Vice President of the Abruzzo Region, commented - have led to the
development of a high-impact integrated project for research, economy and local growth”. “For these reasons - in line with the Intelligent Specialisation Strategy, on which the planning of 2014-2020 EU funds is based, and with the provisions of the Master Plan - the Abruzzo Region has deemed the DarkSide-20k project to be of interest and has decided to support its implementation with a major
contribution”.