(ANSA) - Trieste, July 11 - Trieste will be European Science Capital in 2020, the head of the Trieste International Foundation, Stefano Fantoni, announced Tuesday at a press conference with Friuli Governor Debora Serracchiani and Trieste Mayor Roberto Dipiazza. Trieste beat Dutch university cities Leiden - which will now be science capital in 2022 - and The Hague in the final vote, Fantoni said.

He said "it was not long work, but very hard, for which we must thank very many people...we got to penalties against the Dutch and won".

Fantoni said the benefits for the local area would be "tremendous" and "we will show the Europeans how these things are done, it will be the best EuroScience Open Forum (ESOF) ever." He underscored the 164 letters of support for the bid, coming from an area inhabited by 250 million people and made up of Italia, Austria, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Montenegro, Czech Republic, Romania, Ukraine and Hungary.

Education Minister Valeria Fedeli said the choice of Trieste was a "source of national pride".

