GianCarlo Ghirardi, head of ICTP's Associate programme and professor of physics at the University of Trieste, has been appointed president of the Consorzio per l'incremento degli studi e delle ricerche dei dipartimenti di fisica dell'Università di Trieste. The consortium, established in 1964, promotes local and regional initiatives in physics. Ghirardi replaces Margherita Hack, past director of Trieste's Astronomic Observatory.