The calendar, showing physicians, surgeons, nurses, caretakers and Pascale Foundation head Mario Santangelo with just boxers on, has for its slogan "Without you, research is bare."
Santangelo told Spiegel Online, "We want to bring research closer to the average citizen, to allow them to participate." He added, "It takes a little bit of irony and humor to reach the people."
Pascale Foundation is not alone in its quest for more public funding. Like other Italian research institutes, it is characterized by run-down facilities, lack of laboratory equipment, overworked professors and a burgeoning bureaucracy. A 2004 study by the Italian National Research Council said Italy ranked second lowest in amount of fund allocated for research. The study showed only 1.1 percent of the country's gross domestic product went to laboratories and universities, a paltry amount compared to Germany's 2.5 percent and topnotch Israel's 4.4 percent.
The black and white calendar sells for $14.72 (10 euro) at kiosks and bookstores across Italy. Half of its initial print run of 10,000 is sold out, raising $29,437 (20,000 euro) by the end of November.
Calendar photographer Simone Florena commended the medical personnel for their professionalism during the photo shoot. They posed for the calendar until midnight, after working regular hours first in the operating room or laboratories.
