Speaking at the TOP500 Companies event, organized by NEM – Nord Est Multimedia in the Oceania Hall of the Stazione Marittima, Rector Donata Vianelli highlighted the University's strategic role in the growth of the region, emphasizing that UniTS's trajectory is increasingly linked to the development of the context in which it operates. She also commented on the University's encouraging enrollment figures.

"This year, we are seeing an impressive double-digit growth of 13% in our three-year and single-cycle master's degrees," a figure set to increase "probably to 15%" once medical-area enrollments are completed after the filter semester.

Facing the future challenges of demographic winter, the role of the territory and the dialogue we can establish with companies and institutions become crucial for a university like ours. Vianelli observed that growth will be possible because "the territory is becoming more attractive: the University of Trieste is growing together with Trieste, a city profoundly changed from the past," now more open, international, and eligible as an ideal place to study, work, and live.

However, growth is not just a matter of numbers: "It is not a journey we can manage without a vision, without a strategy, without actions that lead us to growth." For over ten years, the University has been working on attractiveness, aiming to bring young people to Trieste from all over Italy and, increasingly, from abroad.

One of the pillars of this shared growth is the relationship with the business community: in this regard, the Rector cited the work started in 2013 on job placement, building a structured dialogue with companies. There are businesses that "wait for our graduate when needed" and often do not find them, while others "activate a continuous dialogue with the university" and undertake genuine talent acquisition, involving students as early as their bachelor's or master's degrees. This approach helps create value for companies, for the University, and for Trieste in terms of reputation and ability to attract talent.

Within this framework, Vianelli recalled the recently released results on UniTS graduate employment rates, with the University of Trieste being first in Italy in several disciplinary areas, including engineering, architecture, economics, and the pharmaceutical-healthcare sector, and also ranking high in the legal area.

Collaboration with the business world starts with the design of educational offerings through the involvement of company representatives in the stages of establishing and reviewing degree programs. This allows the University to read labor market trends, identify emerging skills, and continuously update teaching activities, ensuring constant adaptation to the needs of the working world.

Alongside placement, entrepreneurial training is an important chapter: Vianelli mentioned the experience of the Innovators Community Lab, the University's laboratory where interdisciplinary groups of students develop business ideas and are supported in defining the project and the business plan, with the backing of external entrepreneurs and professionals.

In her speech, the Rector also addressed the issue of young people's salaries and mobility abroad, where better-paid positions are offered. This is a matter concerning national economic policies and the tax framework, but one which the region can influence by making the living and working environment more attractive to encourage the return of highly qualified profiles.

Vianelli linked this reasoning to the issue of the demographic emergency: universities and businesses are called to devise long-term strategies for investing in human capital and attracting students from Italy and abroad.

A significant point was dedicated to the phenomenon of university dropout. In Italy, the Rector recalled, about a quarter of students abandon their studies, with peaks exceeding 30% in some degree courses. A dropout represents a "failure" for the people involved and for the university, as it can translate into a loss of motivation and a higher risk of unemployment. For this reason, she explained, it is not enough to simply "promote" the University to get enrollments, but constant support must be provided to students, and choices far removed from their aptitudes and passions should be advised against.

In this perspective, the Rector valued the role of the ITS (Higher Technical Institutes) in Friuli Venezia Giulia as partners in building an integrated educational system. The collaboration focuses on two main axes: joint orientation, to guide young people toward the most suitable path, and the exchange of competencies, involving UniTS lecturers in ITS teaching and the use of ITS labs for shared educational activities.

"We can achieve great results by making the entire education system and the productive system collaborate," she concluded.