BSBF2024 DOSSIER EN

Big Science Business Forum 2024 – Trieste, Italy 157 Big Science Business Forum 2024 – Trieste, Italy 156 10.3.2. Grotta Gigante This cavern is home to one of the world’s largest accessible underground chambers. Known as one of the wonders of the Karst plateau, this remarkably large cave was formed between 10 and 5 million years ago in Cretaceous limestone, where the turbulent waters of the Timavo River carved through rock, creating a multitude of cave systems that crisscross the entire area like holes in a gigantic block of Swiss cheese. During a guided tour of about an hour, BSBF participants descended 500 steps to reach the center of the massive chamber, 112 meters below the surface, then climbed another 500 steps to return to ground level. The panoramic staircase on the way up allowed visitors to view the cavern from nearly every angle. BSBF visitors were also introduced to the Real Time Seismology Service (RTS-CRS) , a seismic monitoring service for northeastern Italy used for early earthquake alerts by the Civil Protection authorities of the Friuli Venezia Giulia and Veneto Regions. In the event of seismic activity potentially significant to the public, within 2–5 minutes of the event, an alert message is automatically sent to the competent authorities (by fax, email, and SMS). All seismic events, automatically located and then reviewed by an operator, are published in real time on the RTS website. Event notifications are also posted on OGS’s official social media channels (Facebook and Twitter). 10.4. Site Visit 4 – Research Vessel Laura Bassi 10.5. Registrants and Participants Due to adverse weather conditions, marked by strong gusts of wind, it was not possible to accompany BSBF participants who had requested a visit onboard the Laura Bassi research vessel. The Laura Bassi is an icebreaker purchased on May 9, 2019, following funding allocated to OGS under the 2018 Italian Budget Law. It replaces the historic OGS Explora, which carried out 13 campaigns in Antarctica and the Arctic. Currently, it is the first and only Italian-flagged vessel to have obtained “Polar Code” certification. The Laura Bassi’s primary mission is to provide scientific and logistical support to Italian polar missions while enabling oceanographic and geophysical research by OGS and the national and European scientific community at the global level, especially in polar regions. Organizing these visits posed several challenges: despite numerous reminders, many registrants decided to sign up at the last minute, while others, although registered, were forced to cancel due to early flight departures. As a result, actual attendance fell short of expectations. Expected Real Visit to Research Infrastructure 1 Elettra Sincrotrone and Kyma 68 31 Visit to Research Infrastructure 2 Jožef Stefan Institute (c/o BRINJE 40)+Ljubljana 30 22 Visit to Research Infrastructure 3 OGS and Grotta Gigante 51 31 Visit to Research Infrastructure 4 Research vessel Laura Bassi 32 \ Research Institution Visits