LECCE – Final sprint towards Medicine. The degree course of the University of Salento is ready to go – only the opinion of the Anvur is missing but it would be a matter of days – after having received the economic guarantees from the Region. And there are those who are ready to bet that the Salento “out of office” could be taken to the chair, such as Pier Luigi Lopalco, professor of hygiene at the University of Pisa, and current regional councilor for health, who would thus remain in Puglia. Professor Lopalco will be in Lecce today for the presentation of the MedTec degree course project, together with the president of the Puglia Region, Michele Emiliano, the mayor of Lecce, Carlo Salvemini, the rector of the University of Salento, Fabio Pollice, the councilor for economic development and industrial research and innovation, Alessandro Delli Noci, councilor for training and universities, Sebastiano Leo, the president of the regional council, Loredana Capone, the director of the Lecce ASL, Rodolfo Rollo.
Today at 11.30, therefore, in the cloister of the Rectorate, in piazza Tancredi 7, the presentation of the MedTec degree course project, the training course in Medicine and Surgery with a strong technological and bioengineering vocation that will be activated at UniSalento starting from the year 2021/2022 academic year, after consulting ANVUR, and thanks to the financial support of the Puglia Region.
The National Agency for the Evaluation of the University and Research System, it was said, in fact, has not yet given the green light to the new course, but who in recent years has built the foundations for the birth of Medicine in Lecce, is obviously sure that the path followed was the right one and that it is just a matter of waiting a few days. In the meantime, in academic circles – but not only – there are many names of illustrious Apulian teachers who could hold the first professorships for baptism. There are those who have already mentioned the name of Pier Luigi Lopalco, but there are those who are ready to bet that several aces will be pulled out of their sleeves.
The money is there. The regional council had given, three days ago, the green light to the budget change for the financial year 2021 and the multi-year 2021-2023 for the activation of the expected degree course. Funds that will also be used to finance the posts (professional figures of researchers and professors) functional to the start of the new course. A prospect for which it was necessary to adjust the allocation provided for by article 18 of regional law 35/2020.
The allocations have been planned until 2040. In particular, 626,567 have been planned for the year 2021; 1,090,691 for the year 2022 and 2,413,444 for 2023. For the following years the maximum amount of the loan is equal to 3,504,136 euros for the year 2024; 4,583,224 euros for 2025; 5,325,822 euros for the year 2026; 5,465,060 for the year 2027; 5,604,297 for 2028: 5,743,534 euros for each of the years from 2029 to 2035; 4,931,317 for 2036; 4,281,543.90 for 2037; 2,726,728 for 2038; 1,682,449 for 2039 and 649,773.60 for the year 2040 for a total of 83,089,799 euros.
It was therefore necessary to make a change to the forecast budget, for an amount equal to 626,567 euros for the year 2021; 1,090,691 euros for 2022 and 2,413,444 for the year 2023, with withdrawal of the corresponding amount for the years 2021 and 2022 and for 1,400,000 euros for the year 2023 from the “Global Fund for the financing of regional laws current expenditure “, in the process of being adopted”.
For the years following the year 2023, the respective budget laws will be provided.
“HISTORICAL DAY FOR PUGLIA” – «It is an absolutely historic day for Puglia – declared the President of the Region Michele Emiliano – and in particular for one of the most beautiful cities in Italy that I have always imagined as a great source of attraction for culture and training. Lecce is a city made on purpose to study, to understand the world, to do scientific research, I am delighted that this goal is finally within reach ».
“When a few years ago – continued Emiliano – Professor Domenico Laforgia launched this idea to me, it seemed like a gamble, in a very complex world like that of the Academy, and instead thanks to the maturity of Puglia and other Apulian universities this project took shape . It was a common journey that will correspond to the strengthening of the formation of our young people. Puglia not only needs doctors, but above all everything around a university faculty: I am thinking, for example, of all the work that is being done at the University of Salento with reference to biotechnologies and to the whole district biomedical. I must say that we are fortunate to have Professor Cingolani, my personal friend and above all an extraordinary innovation scientist, as Minister of ecological transition at this stage ».
THE RECTOR: “CENTRAL ROLE” – In this very complicated but also very beautiful year, in which we have all shared the very hard experience of the pandemic, I believe that the university world has demonstrated with great strength its centrality, its ability to be a great institution, to be at the service of the country, its unity and its being a strong interpreter of our constitutional values ». This was stated by Gaetano Manfredi, rector of the Federico II University of Naples, speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the academic year of the Aldo Moro University of Bari, in his first public appearance in a university after the end of his term as minister.
«In this period of change and reconstruction – added Manfredi – I am confident that the new government will continue, with respect to the lines that had been set, to reserve a very important space for research and for the university. I hope that the path we have traced continues and that, indeed, will be further strengthened ». “We cannot talk about the future – he concluded – if we do not talk about universities, research and training as growth drivers for the country”.
CAPONE: “DREAM THAT COME TRUE” – «The Faculty of Medicine and Surgery in Lecce is a dream come true. An opportunity that we have sought and wanted, and a glimmer of light in these difficult days for all of humanity. Finally our children will be able to study and specialize here, at home, and this also means fewer sacrifices for the families, so far forced to bear important travel and accommodation costs “: declares the president of the Puglia Regional Council Loredana Capone present today at the presentation of the MedTec degree course project.
“It will be an extremely important course for the University of Salento – he continues – but also a pole of excellence for the whole of Puglia because it will combine health and research, two sides of the same coin and this pandemic reminds us of it every day, while it convinces us more and more the importance of an efficient public health system, which allows every citizen and every citizen to have the best care regardless of whether he can afford it or not, ”continued President Capone.
“To be honest, this is one of the greatest challenges of politics today: formation of human capital on the one hand and opportunities for treatment on the other, with constant attention to breaking down all those social obstacles, starting with income, which they risk creating walls of inequality and damaging two of the fundamental rights enshrined in our Constitution, the right to education and health ”, he concludes.
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