Antarctica, 94 million euros allocated for advanced and sustainable infrastructure

The decree defining the distribution of resources for Research Institutions for the 2025 financial year of the Fund for Construction and Research Infrastructure has been signed, with a total allocation of 94 million euros. The initiative, promoted by the Ministry of University and Research (MUR) under the guidance of Minister Anna Maria Bernini, aims to support and enhance the operational and scientific capabilities of Italian research institutes.

A significant allocation of these funds, equal to 7.5 million euros, has been allocated to the National Research Council (CNR) for crucial interventions on Italian research infrastructures located in Antarctica . These funds will be used for the logistical and scientific modernization of two stations of primary importance for the international scientific community: the coastal station "Mario Zucchelli", operational since 1985 in Terra Nova Bay in the Ross Sea , and the "Concordia" base, located on the Antarctic plateau at 3,233 meters above sea level and jointly managed by Italy and France.

The financial intervention pursues a dual objective. First, it intends to adapt the existing infrastructure to the growing needs of contemporary scientific research . Second, a strong emphasis is placed on strengthening the "green" footprint of the two Antarctic stations, promoting the adoption of renewable energy sources and intelligent technological solutions aimed at minimizing energy consumption and the overall environmental impact .

Specifically, the interventions planned for the "Mario Zucchelli" Station will focus on expanding long-term observation capabilities through the acquisition of advanced scientific instrumentation . This includes the purchase of a new vessel for coastal oceanographic research and biological and geological sampling, as well as a remotely operated robotic underwater vehicle (ROV) for the exploration and collection of sediments and marine species even at greater depths . These new facilities will significantly expand the scope of sampling activities, while reducing risks to personnel and the impact on the Antarctic ecosystem. Activities related to the network of permanent observatories will also be strengthened, with the reconstitution of the mooring infrastructure of the marine observatory, the strengthening of the observation site integrated into the international LTER network and the expansion of collaboration with other scientific bases present on the continent, with a view to global scientific cooperation. 4 million euros have been allocated to these interventions.

Greater energy efficiency through the use of renewable sources is instead the core of the intervention planned for Concordia Station . The acquisition and installation of an innovative solar system aimed at containing energy consumption is planned. With an investment of 3.5 million euros, this system will help reduce the environmental impact of the station and generate energy during the summer, contributing to the renewal of existing systems and the improvement of operational safety.

The implementation of these adaptation activities will be conducted in close collaboration with ENEA , the body responsible for the logistical coordination of the Antarctic stations within the National Antarctic Research Programme (PNRA).

" Our Research Institutions are jewels, a source of pride for Italy, a scientific reference at an international level – explains Minister Anna Maria Bernini -. – We have the responsibility to ensure that these excellences can grow and continue on the path they have undertaken. It is necessary to be able to guarantee resources for new projects, finance increasingly complex infrastructures, support the most advanced technologies", adds the Minister . " The new financing of 94 million from the Fund for the construction and modernization of research infrastructures goes in this direction. It allows scientific institutions to strengthen their study activities and open new fronts of study capable of generating concrete and positive effects to improve the quality of life. We want to give continuity to an already excellent work, the pride of the country. We believe in it. And the results are obtained by believing in it ".

" The CNR Antarctic scientific stations, given the hostile environment to which they are subjected, inevitably require renovation work: the funding assigned to the CNR for 2025 under the Fund for construction and research infrastructures will allow us to complete important objectives, partly already undertaken in previous years, which aim to maintain the high scientific level of the Stations and at the same time respect the need, increasingly shared today, to ensure that the activities carried out in these extreme environments have a lower environmental and energy impact ", states President Maria Chiara Carrozza .

The distribution of the 94 million euros of the Fund for construction and research infrastructures was carried out taking into account the needs and projects presented by each Institution. The monitoring of the use of resources will take place on the basis of the timetables of the planned activities.