Pandemic: a forgotten danger? A meeting with Nobel Laureate Charles Rice

14th April 2026 – A conversation on pandemic preparedness and scientific research

At a time when public attention to pandemic risk seems to be waning, in spite of the increased frequency of global epidemics, Fondazione Invernizzi, in collaboration with ISPI (Institute for International Political Studies), organised a meeting entitled “Pandemic: a forgotten danger?”, which was held on Tuesday 14th April at 6.00 pm at Palazzo Invernizzi Conference Centre in Milan.

The initiative was designed as an opportunity for reflection and exchange between the scientific community, institutions and the industry on the topic of preparedness for future pandemics and the role played by medical research in preventing and addressing new global health emergencies.

Building on lessons learnt during COVID-19 pandemic and the experience gained in the study of other infectious diseases, including Hepatitis C, the meeting explored how the speed of scientific response depends on long-term investment in research, solid collaboration between the public and private sectors, and the ability to translate scientific knowledge into effective policy decisions.

The meeting opened with a keynote lecture by Prof. Charles Rice, a virologist at Rockefeller University and winner of 2020 Nobel Prize in Medicine, who offered a scientific perspective on the evolution of medical research in the last few years and on challenges linked to the study of emerging viruses.

The lecture was followed by a roundtable session moderated by Antonio Villafranca, ISPI Vice-President for Research, with the participation of:
• Charles Rice, Rockefeller University
• Marcello Cattani, President of Farmindustria
• Alessia Melegaro, Director of HEAL Bocconi University

The debate also focused on the role played by assets and expertise in scientific research, exploring how to build a virtuous system integrating public funding, private philanthropy and the pharmaceutical industry, and how to create new opportunities for the younger generation of researchers in a context characterised by increasingly complex and large-scale scientific programmes.

The event was held in English and translated simultaneously into Italian.