Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture

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38°02′16″N 12°35′15″E / 38.03778°N 12.58749°E / 38.03778; 12.58749

Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture
Headquarters in Erice, Sicily
FounderAntonino Zichichi
Established1962
MissionScientific research, international collaboration, and science for peace
FocusAstronomy, Cultural Heritage, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Engineering, Mathematics, Medical Studies
PresidentAntonino Zichichi
Location
Erice
,
Trapani
,
Italy
Websiteettoremajoranafoundation.it

The Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture (EMFCSC) is a scientific institution based in Erice, Sicily. It was founded in 1962 by Italian physicist Antonino Zichichi to promote advanced research and dialogue across scientific disciplines.

The Foundation held its first scientific programme in 1963 and has since grown into a hub for high-level academic exchange. Its primary activities take place in a group of historic buildings and former monastic complexes in Erice’s medieval centre, which now house the Foundation’s administrative offices, lecture halls and residential facilities.

History

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The Foundation’s origins lie in the vision of creating a space for open scientific dialogue across political and disciplinary borders.

The institution was named in honour of the eminent Sicilian theoretical physicist Ettore Majorana, whose disappearance in 1938 remains one of science’s enduring mysteries. Physicist Antonino Zichichi, who founded the EMFCSC, has served as its guiding force since inception, acting as its president and director of flagship programmes, including the International School of Subnuclear Physics. He also founded a research centre in Rome named after Enrico Fermi.[1]

Affiliated with Italy’s INFN, over 100 Nobel laureates have participated in its activities. The EMFCSC gained prominence during the Cold War by hosting scientists from both the Eastern Bloc and Western nations.[2]

Awards and recognition

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The Ettore Majorana – Science for Peace Prize was instituted by the Sicilian Regional Assembly in 1988, with its administration assigned to the EMFCSC.[3] The award, selected by the World Federation of Scientists and first conferred in 1990, has recognised eminent figures such as Lee Yuan‑tseh, Pope John Paul II, Herbert Aaron Hauptman, David Hunter Hubel, Robert Huber, Edward Teller and Linus Carl Pauling.[4] Pope John Paul II received the Prize in December 2004 and dedicated the funds to scholarships for developing-world students.[5]

Location and facilities

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Since 1963, the Foundation has been based in Erice’s former Monastery of the Poor Clares. In the 1970s it expanded into a cluster of restored convent buildings in the medieval centre, each now housing a dedicated institute named after a scientist.[6]

  • Isidor I. Rabi Institute (former Monastery of the Poor Clares, linked to the Church of San Pietro by an overpass arch) — Administrative hub with the Directorate, main Secretariat and the "Richard P. Feynman" Lecture Hall; also hosts the Centre’s Polo Sismico (Alberto Gabriele Seismic Network, 1981).[6][7]
  • Eugene P. Wigner Institute (former San Francesco convent adjoining the Church of Spirito Santo) — Includes the "Enrico Fermi" Lecture Hall; the cloister is used for concerts and exhibitions.[6][8]
  • Patrick M. S. Blackett Institute (former San Domenico convent) — Houses the Aula Magna "P. A. M. Dirac" auditorium and lecture rooms ("Robert Hofstadter", "John von Neumann"); also includes small museums.[9][10]
  • Victor F. Weisskopf Institute (Il Ciclope) — Venue with the "John S. Bell" and "Richard H. Dalitz" Lecture Halls.[6]

All four institutes include on-site accommodation for visiting participants.[11]

Programmes

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The centre conducts advanced scientific courses, known as International Schools, across various disciplines including subnuclear physics, history of science, environmental science, biology, chemistry, and medicine. It has hosted over 127 schools and welcomed more than 160,000 participants, including students, researchers, and approximately 158 Nobel laureates.[12]

One of its earliest initiatives, launched in 1980, was the International Seminars on Nuclear War and Planetary Emergencies, reflecting the institution’s commitment to discussing global threats and planetary emergencies.[13] In 1982, the Foundation launched the Erice statement, a declaration outlining scientists’ responsibility to promote peace and ethical use of scientific knowledge. This mission was reaffirmed during the event’s 60th anniversary, when the Erice Manifesto was signed in 2023, reaffirming commitment to international collaboration and disarmament.[14]

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References

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  1. ^ "The Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture". Ettore Majorana Foundation & Centre for Scientific Culture. n.d. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  2. ^ "The History". Ettore Majorana Foundation & Centre for Scientific Culture. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  3. ^ "L.R. 8 novembre 1988, n. 31. Istituzione Premio Ettore Majorana – Erice – Scienza per la pace". Gazzetta Ufficiale Regione Sicilia. 12 November 1988.
  4. ^ "Academicians Awarded Italian Science for Peace Prize". Academia Sinica Newsletter. December 2008.
  5. ^ "Address of John Paul II to members of the international scientific community". Vatican.va. 7 December 2004.
  6. ^ a b c d "Location and Structures". Ettore Majorana Foundation & Centre for Scientific Culture. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  7. ^ "Alberto Gabriele Seismic Network". Ettore Majorana Foundation & Centre for Scientific Culture. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  8. ^ "The Ettore Majorana Foundation – the Wigner Institute". Comune di Erice – Virtual Tour. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  9. ^ "The Ettore Majorana Foundation – the Blackett Institute". Comune di Erice – Virtual Tour. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  10. ^ "Ettore Majorana Center Info (Institutes and Lecture Halls)" (PDF). CERN Accelerator School. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  11. ^ "Conference venue and accommodation". CERN Indico. Retrieved 7 October 2025. There are living quarters in all the four Institutes for people attending the Courses of the Centre.
  12. ^ "International Schools". Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  13. ^ "International Seminars on Nuclear War and Planetary Emergencies". Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  14. ^ "International School of the History of Science". Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
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