September 11, 2020
The institutional visit to the Itelpharma facilities yesterday afternoon in Ruvo di Puglia marked the conclusion of a two-day tour of entrepreneurial excellence in the region by Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Stefano Buffagni.
Accompanied by parliamentarians Angela Masi, Francesca Galizia, and Bruna Angela Piarulli, Buffagni was welcomed by Leonardo Diaferia, founder of one of the symbols of technological Puglia, which the Deputy Minister fell in love with after visiting “Leonardo” in Grottaglie, specialized in aerostructures.
Also present was the academic world, represented by the rectors Stefano Bronzini of the University “Aldo Moro” and Francesco Cupertino of the Polytechnic University of Bari. Representing the local institutional world was Luciana Di Bisceglie, councilor for Productive Activities of the Municipality of Ruvo di Puglia.
Politics, entrepreneurship, higher education: the synergy between these worlds is essential to be competitive in the international market with products and projects “made in Italy.”
Diaferia is proud to have created a company specializing in medical, pharmaceutical, and diagnostic-therapeutic engineering, with an international scope, innovative, which relies on local talents to create entities that bring well-being to the community, but at the same time, aim to generate significant revenues that, in a virtuous circle, create new jobs.
Diaferia spoke about the Erha project (Enhanced Radiotherapy with HAdrons), the collaboration with the University of Perugia within the framework of the international and industrial Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, highlighting the propensity to network with institutions and organizations.
And it is precisely on this point that Buffagni focuses: for the Deputy Minister, companies, and territorial excellences must team up with each other and with the Government to provide suggestions for implementing effective programs and actions.
However, as emphasized by the academic world as well, more infrastructure is needed to accelerate progress in the South and contribute to bridging the gap with the North. It is also crucial to reduce bureaucracy while respecting laws.
Buffagni then visited the LinearBeam headquarters, where the Research and Development department in Proton Therapy is located, and where the “Erha” project is taking shape, the first proton therapy system based on a linear proton accelerator (p-Linac) destined to revolutionize the therapeutic approach to cancer treatment.
The Deputy Minister showed a keen interest in the explanations provided by Diaferia and engineer Raffaele Andrea Prisco, the head of the team overseeing the project.
At the end of the visit, he expressed further esteem and pride for what is the quintessence of “Made in Italy,” and for this reason, he is increasingly convinced of the need to build a cohesive system.
