Laura Bassi: ministerial contribution for maintenance and management of naval infrastructures
Ministerial Decree No. 1096 of 25-07-2024 - Ordinary Fund for Research Institutions (FOE)
The research vessel Laura Bassi, owned by OGS, is the only Italian icebreaker. Law No. 205 of 27.12.2017 (art. 1 para. 649) allocated €12 million to OGS for the purchase of a vessel to serve as a scientific research infrastructure and to support the Antarctic base. The R/V Laura Bassi's main objective is to provide scientific and logistical support to Italian polar missions.
Italian expeditions to Antarctica, funded by the Ministry of University and Research (MUR) under the Italian National Antarctic Research Program (PNRA), are managed by the CNR for scientific coordination, by ENEA for the planning and logistical organization of activities at the Antarctic bases, and by OGS for the technical and scientific management of the icebreaker Laura Bassi.
The ministerial contribution aims to guarantee the maintenance and management of naval infrastructures supporting Italian research, particularly polar research (Ministerial Decree No. 1096 of 25-07-2024 - Ordinary Fund for Research Institutions (FOE) 2024).