How do you ‘do university’ in an uncertain political, social and economic context? This is the challenging question Rector Donata Vianelli raised her first inauguration ceremony of the 2025-2026 academic year on the 102nd anniversary of the University of Trieste.

‘Vision,strategy and pragmatism will be the guiding principles of the next six years of my rectorate, an approach capable of dealing lucidly with the uncertainty of the future’, the Rector said. ‘Our greatest energy is the pride of belonging to this university, pride reciprocated by a local community that recognises us as an essential component of its cultural, social and economic development’.

The value of the relationship with the community and the international context was strongly demonstrated by the presence at the ceremony of the Italian Ambassador to France, Emanuela D’Alessandro, who was entrusted with the lectio magistralis ‘Italy, France, Europe: diplomacy in action’.

‘It is a great honour to be here in Trieste. As I have been able to appreciate in my years as Italian Ambassador in Zagreb, Trieste is a city founded on its vocation for dialogue and international openness, a ‘city-border’ par excellence, a crossroads of peoples, cultures and trade, a meeting point between different souls in Europe and the Mediterranean, between North and South, between East and West,’ stressed the Ambassador, ‘A city that is a candidate for acting as a fundamental hub of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic (IMEC) Corridor, designed to logistically connect India, the Gulf countries, Egypt, Israel and the Mediterranean, and for which our Ministry plans to organise a major event here in Trieste next year’.

The key themes of Vianelli’s rectorate will be not only internationalisation but also digitalisation, sustainability and construction at the University, all the while keeping research and student relations at the centre.

Internationalisation and relationship with the local community

The strong recovery in student mobility and the expansion of international scientific collaborations are a positive sign. The future strategy will be geared towards investing in cooperation not only as support but also as leverage for research and education, promoting international networks and contributing to the spread of a culture of peace and social justice.

Actions already underway include the hospitality offered to scholars from countries at risk, projects to support migrants in the local area, interventions in Africa dedicated to STEM education, support for the dissemination of sustainable, minimally invasive surgery and the investigation of climate change, conflict and migration. New cooperation projects have also been launched in Tanzania, Ethiopia and Rwanda. Finally, the University is taking steps to welcome new Palestinian students. 

As for the relationship with the territory, UniTS will inaugurate a new phase of more active and systematic dialogue with companies, bodies and institutions. While remaining a research university, the University recognises that the most advanced research comes from the combination of academic skills and real needs, and that the knowledge produced must be translated into value for the community. It will invest in technology transfer, strengthening its presence in places focussed on development through framework agreements, strategic conventions, joint projects and by promoting initiatives with concrete impact on the territory. 

Digitalisation

Teaching and research in artificial intelligence and data science has been consolidated both in the course catalogue and in a high-profile research project that has been recognised at international level. Looking to the future, the University intends to further strengthen its commitment to the dissemination of digital culture, data, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, promoting training courses and education initiatives designed not only for the University community, but also for its social and economic context. 

‘Weimmediately gave strong support to the creation of the AgorAI Innovation Hub, an ecosystem made up of excellent companies to promote the development of start-ups, the attraction of talent and innovative planning in the field of Artificial Intelligence,’recalled Vianelli.

Sustainability

In this academic year, the University will boast its first graduates from the Master’s Degree in ‘Engineering for the Energy Transition’, which enhances years of advanced research in the energy sector through a multidisciplinary course designed to respond to the European and national priorities for the green transition. Another significant example of investment in sustainability is the new ELISA Laboratory, coordinated by the Ciamician Centre and dedicated to energy storage technologies. The facility integrates six departments and strengthens UniTS’ capacity to contribute to a sustainable energy future.

University building

The University has multiple locations across Trieste from Piazzale Europa to the old part of the city, from San Giovanni Park to Porto Vecchio and future extensions to the Cattinara hospital, as well as multiple satellite campuses at Gorizia, Pordenone and Portogruaro. This structure poses challenges that have already begun to be addressed through rationalisation, reorganisation, consolidation and reducing congestion. At the same time, strategic projects, large construction sites and restoration, redevelopment and refitting work are being carried out, some of which are possible thanks to the important contribution of the CRTrieste Foundation.

Research

UniTS is continuing to renew and invest in research infrastructures, an essential condition for maintaining its competitive capacity and attracting high-level researchers. The two new nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometers purchased with the contribution of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region are especially noteworthy, as is the economic support of Fondazione CRTrieste, Fondazione Beneficentia Stiftung and Fondazione Benefiche Alberto e Kathleen Casali. In the near future, the University will enhance the direct hiring of renowned teaching staff, including some winners of prestigious ERC and FIS calls, and participation in international competitive calls. 

Innovative teaching

The constant increase in student enrolments is also due to the constant updating of the course catalogue. In 2026 UniTS will offer a new course dedicated to the Education for Mathematics and Physics, for training future teachers. The first open and massive open online courses (MOOC) will also be launched, included in a digital catalogue, thus expanding the forms of learning and updating opportunities for graduates and professionals. 

Commitment to innovation in teaching is one of the challenges ahead. This is a cultural challenge that will respond to the generational change of students, their cognitive styles and expectations, combining the potential offered by digitalisation with new technologies and AI. This particular innovation will challenge teachers to review traditional patterns, models and practices.

Ambassador D’Alessandro also wished the student community well for the new academic year, while recalling her institutional role in a place that is a symbol of collaboration: ‘Our job as diplomats in France is ultimately this: not only to promote the interest of Italy in its many forms, but also to keep the harmony between two of the most important countries in the world, to make it an engine of Europe and the West and, in so doing, to help offer young people – starting with those who study at this university, to whom I wish from the bottom of my heart, as well as all of you teachers, an excellent academic year – a horizon of peace, freedom and shared opportunities.’

The ceremony was attended by the Mayor of Trieste, Roberto Dipiazza, and the President of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Massimiliano Fedriga, the president of the Student Council, Morgan Baliviera, and the representative of technical and administrative staff, Salvatore Dore.  The keynote lecture was given to Renata Longo, Professor of Physics for Life Sciences, Environment and Cultural Heritage of the Department of Physics, ‘Beyond Grey: the colours of the X-rays’. 

Vocal and instrumental performances by the Choir and Orchestra of the University of Trieste, conducted by conductor Riccardo Cossi.

During the ceremony, deserving students and first-year students were also awarded, thanks to contributions from the Fondazione Università degli Studi di Trieste (FUST) and the Fondazione CRTrieste.