Page:NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE SURVEY 17; ITALY; SCIENCE CIA-RDP01-00707R000200080002-5.pdf/11

 APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200080002-5

Defense Scientific-Technical Council coordinates research of interest to national defense.

The CNEN operates under the Ministry of Industry and Commerce but is largely autonomous. The CNEN, according to directives issued by CIPE, is specifically charged with promoting and conducting research on the peaceful applications of nuclear energy and is responsible for coordination of basic and applied nuclear and some nonnuclear research, prospecting for uranium, treatment of raw materials, and coordination of research in physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology, medicine, and engineering as they relate to nuclear energy. The CNEN is required to provide scientific and technical supervision of all projects concerned with production of nuclear raw materials and with production of nuclear energy. However, the nuclear power reactor program, which is of great importance to Italy because of the lack of coal and petroleum, was transferred in 1964 to the newly formed National Electric Power Agency (ENEL). As a result of this change, the CNEN, which prior to 1962 held first place in the amount of research and development funds assigned to government agencies, has dropped to third place. During 1970, CNEN accounted for 16% of the government research and development funds. Most of the CNEN budget is sued for support of five larger centers of its own. In addition to the Trisaia Center, other centers are at Casaccia, Frascati, Bologna, and Saluggia. CNEN also had been the principal supporter of the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INEN) in Rome, but this institute is now completely independent and its appropriations are approved directly by CIPE. The CNEN employs a staff of more than 3,300, about 70% of whom are graduates of higher institutions, research workers, and technical experts. The CNEN maintains technical and scientific relations with international and foreign involved in nuclear research.

Space research until 1972 was under the control of the Space Research Institute. This was replaced by two new coordinating commissions: the CIAS, which is concerned with policy matters, and the Commission for the Study of Space Questions, which is under the CNR. Italian aerospace research and development efforts are managed and controlled by the Advisory Center for Studies and Research, which is directly under the Italian Air Staff.

Italy has many academies and professional societies which function as cultural associations concerned with the advancement of scientific research. Examples include the National Association of Science, the Italian Institute for Space Research, the Italian Physics Society, the National Association of Nuclear Engineering, and the Italian Forum for Nuclear Energy. Many of the societies make contributions by awarding financial grants for specific projects and by providing documentation services. They publish original papers of Italian scientists and provide translations of foreign scientific papers.

Italian industry occupies an important position in the overall picture, accounting for nearly one-half of the research and development activities. Research by private industry tends to be concentrated in a few large companies. The Italian automotive, chemical, electrical, pharmaceutical, textile, and tire industries have had strong research and development programs for many years. The smaller companies restrict their research to those activities which lead to immediate commercial results. The state-owned industrial firms account for about 20% of the industrial output and are among the leaders in industrial research.

Italian expenditures for research and development are increasing but are still inadequate when compared with other industrialized countries: the expenditures are low especially when compared with the amount expanded by other highly developed countries of Western Europe. The total research expenditure for Italy, both public and private, for 1970 was estimated about 0.8% of gross national product as against 0.7% in 1966. A committee appointed by the Minister of Science and Technology to advise on research and

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APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200080002-5