IFRF Executive met in Pisa last week. During the meeting, revised IFRF Statutes proposed and agreed by the IFRF’s Joint Committee in June were formally approved after witnessing by an Italian Notary. Principal changes include a transfer of some legal and safety responsibilities from the General Secretary to the IFRF Director.

I am pleased to announce that recently appointed ENEL Research Director, Cristiana La Marca, has taken over the role of IFRF General Secretary with immediate effect. The IFRF Executive would like to thank outgoing General Secretary and former ENEL Research Director Sauro Pasini for his unstinting support for the IFRF over many decades before and during his period as General Secretary.

The IFRF Executive has considered four Conceptual Proposals for hosting the IFRF. Three were assessed as being  proposals that will take the IFRF forward to a viable future. In order of receipt of proposals, GWI (Germany), Laborelec and University partners (Belgium) and Sheffield University/PACT (UK) have been invited to submit Business Plans for consideration by the IFRF’s Joint Committee at a special meeting in Paris in December. A decision on the new host is expected at that meeting. It is anticipated that the ‘new’ IFRF and the Italian IFRF will run in parallel for a number of months in 2016 ensuring maintenance of a full service to Members during the relocation.

ENEL has confirmed that IFRF Italy will continue to have access to the ENEL Livorno test facilities under an existing agreement at least through to September 2016. In addition to completing existing contractual commitments to consortium projects, IFRF will continue to offer commercial testing on the Livorno rigs or at customers’ premises throughout this period. IFRF will also continue to supply and/or calibrate in-furnace measuring probes. Please contact IFRF’s Assistant Director Giovanni Coraggio for more information.