Rossana Morriello

Research Support Librarian, Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy

E-mail: rossana.morriello@aib.it

In late 2019, the UNESCO General Conference adopted a resolution to proclaim 2022 as the International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development (IYBSSD). The action was proposed by several world scientific institutions, which realize the importance of basic research, also called “curiosity driven”, and the need to emphasize its role, which is generally underestimated. Most governments are mainly committed to financing applied science rather than basic science.

The Covid pandemic has shown to the world the relevance of basic science. The quick production of vaccines against Coronavirus was possible because of the basic scientific research on SARS diseases and related fields, which researchers have been conducting for a long time.

Basic science is therefore essential to ensure balanced, sustainable, and inclusive development of the planet, as the IYBSSD website states. IYBSSD website https://www.iybssd2022.org/en/home/