Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1057934
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 2 DECEMBER 2018 24 COMMERCIAL Aid to the Church in Need (ACN Malta) to issue booklet on the 19 martyrs of Algeria UNREGULATED petrol sta- tions can be hazardous as the presence of fuels can cause va- pours in the air, fire hazard or even worse, explosions. It is for this reason that all petrol ser- vice stations need to comply with certain standards set but the EU, which include the de- sign and layout of the overall station as well as the equipment installed in it. Malta, is no exception. Fritz Energy and Engineering Ltd. have been tasked with the re- sponsibility of upgrading vari- ous service stations around the Maltese island, making sure that they are both safe for pub- lic use and comply with EU laws and regulations. Some of the standard stations must adhere to include, but are not limited to are underground fuel storage tanks monitored for leakage, fuel resistant pipe work set up in an underground network, dispensers with highly accurate fuel meters and vapour recovery system to reduce fuel emissions and smell, specialised gutters, fuel resistant mem- branes and overfill prevention devices. Apart from being able to im- plement this extensive list of services, Fritz also offer MI- DAS™ Fuel Identification Valve installation, which, even though are not delegatory, still prove to be valuable technology that any service station worth its salt should possess. These valves recognise fuel type and do not allow incorrect fuel to be de- livered to underground storage tanks. This in turn prevents serious damage which may be potentially done to customer's vehicles as a result of vehicle misfuelling. When asked about the pro- jects, Co-Founder and Mr Di- rector Hermann Mallia of Fa- malco Group, parent company of Fritz Energy and Engineer- ing Ltd., commented "We are honoured to be entrusted with such an important project. We believe that the safety of our clients as well as our employees are at the utmost importance and we will work tirelessly on these projects to ensure effi- ciency and success". Since, Fritz Energy and Engi- neering Ltd. has fully upgraded the F. Busuttil Service Station in Ħal Għaxaq to include all of the services previously mentioned, including state-of-the-art Gil- barco Veeder-Root fuel dispens- ers. The company will continue its efforts of renovation across various other service stations across the Maltese islands as various projects are still at a work in progress and will be finished in the near future. For more information about Fritz Energy & Engineering, contact us on (+356) 79472 9508 or via email address info@fritz. mt. The future of smart specialisation IT was Luke Edison who said, "you haven't lived life to the fullest until you've found something worth dying for". Some 19 missionaries in Algeria found themselves living in a time of great danger and their lives were threatened. All foreign- ers were given an ultimatum; to leave the Country or they will be targeted. The missionaries had the option to leave but they found something worth dying for; the love of God and the flock entrusted to them. 22 years later, the Church has recognised their sacrifice and decided to honour them. They are Bishop Pierre Claverie O.P., 7 Trappist Monks, 4 White Fathers, 1 Marist Brother, 6 Nuns including Sr. Jean LittleJohn of Maltese descent. They were murdered during the Algerian Civil war between 1994 and 1996. The cause for their beatification opened in 2007 and at the be- ginning of this year, Pope Francis signed the decree confirming that they died in "odium fidei" (hatred of the faith) thus recogniz- ing them as martyrs. On December 8th the ceremony of their be- atification will take place in the Cathedral of the Diocese of Oran, where Mgr Pierre Claverie O.P. was Bishop. On the occasion of the beatification of these Martyrs in Algeria on 8 December, Aid to the Church in Need (Malta) will issue a booklet about their mission carried out among the people of God. Those interested are kindly requested to call 21487818 or send an email to info@acnmalta.org. Upgrading fuel stations with Fritz DURING the month of November, a series of public consultations were organised by the Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST) which brought together stakeholders from various sectors interest- ed in deliberating the country's current and future Smart Specialisation Strategy. During the events, representatives from academia, the private sector, government and civil society were provided with an overview of the concept of Smart Specialisation, which is based on the premise that a country's investment in research and innovation is conducted using smart, strategic and bottom-up ev- idence-based policy making. Smart specialisation's role and contribution to Mal- ta's ongoing National Research and Innovation Strat- egy 2020 was also highlighted, and participants were given the opportunity to discuss and provide input on ideas and priority areas for a new Strategy post-2020. For the kick-off event, Fernando Mérida Martín, guest speaker from the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) delivered a presentation on smart specialisation. He spoke about "the impor- tance of setting priorities through a bottom-up entre- preneurial discovery process, supported by strategic promotion of a country's assets, competitive advan- tages and potential for excellence. Smart specialisation focuses on investing in a coun- try's relative strengths, taking advantage of its eco- nomic opportunities and emerging trends, and pri- oritising areas with high potential to boost economic growth". Daniel Guerreiro, a policy maker at the Algarve Regional Coordination and Development Commis- sion in Portugal, was also invited to provide a first- hand account of his experiences and challenges with the development of Algarve's Smart Specialisation Strategy. Commenting on his own experience and the similarities to the implementation of the Strat- egy in Malta, Mr Guerreiro emphasised the crucial part that stakeholders continue to play in defining and designing a Strategy that best fits and matches a country's assets and capabilities, "rather than being a Strategy imposed from above, using the concept of the 'entrepreneurial discovery process', Smart Spe- cialisation requires businesses, research centres, civil society and academia to work together to identify a Member State's most advantageous areas of speciali- sation, along with those areas that hinder innovation growth." During the various sessions, stakeholders discussed questions relating to Malta's research and innovation landscape, the validity and relevance of the previous- ly identified priority areas and the vision for Malta's research and innovation ecosystem post-2020. Par- ticipants were also given the opportunity to discuss emerging sectors and topics that could have a lot of R&I potential in the coming ten years, whilst address- ing Malta's main challenges. The views expressed, and the feedback given dur- ing the events will now be taken forward and used to define the next steps in continuing the consulta- tion process on Malta's current Smart Specialisation Strategy, as well as a new Strategy post-2020.