The Trieste Next Festival was established in 2012 with the aim of tackling the most urgent and innovative issues on today's scientific and cultural scene: from food to energy, from water consumption to the increasingly complex relationship between human beings and technology. 

The event intends to foster dialogue between the world of research and the world of business and constructive confrontation between all disciplines by promoting scientific dissemination initiatives aimed at the development of a more aware citizenship and a more sustainable future. 

Since its inception, the Festival has been promoted by the University of Trieste, the Municipality of Trieste and the company Post editori and sees the participation of all the research bodies of the Trieste City of Knowledge Protocol

The University of Trieste, in particular, selects each year the best proposals formulated by its teaching and research staff, which flow into a dense programme of conferences, exhibition spaces, interactive workshops and activities for schools, involving dozens of personalities from the world of national and international research. The event also sees the collaboration of a considerable number of students to whom the University dedicates special training. 

Since 2022, the University has also offered a section of the programme entirely in English and, thanks to the Academy Italia and International Academy projects, brings around 400 researchers and students from all over Europe to Trieste every year.

Trieste Next is a growing success with the public every year, with tens of thousands of visitors involved both in the dissemination activities in the tensile structures in Piazza Unità d'Italia and in other spaces in the city centre to take part in meetings, conferences, exhibitions, shows, workshops and initiatives for schools.

Rose Libri Musica Vino (Roses Books Music Wine), now in its 13° edition, is the cultural event promoted by the Cooperativa sociale Agricola Monte San Pantaleone in collaboration with the University of Trieste to enhance the San Giovanni Park. The initiative is held every year on Fridays in May in the park's large rose garden, during the peak blooming period of its thousands of roses.

Since its inception, the event has been offering a varied programme of activities that each year revolve around a theme, which is declined in the various meetings of the four sections of the event: roses, books, music, wine. These include meetings, book presentations, walks to discover the San Giovanni Park, wine tastings and in-depth discussions on wine, workshops for children, concerts and university lectures in the rose garden involving lecturers and researchers and personalities from the artistic and cultural scene.

The European Researchers' Night is an event that is held every year on the last Friday of September in hundreds of Italian cities and is attended by thousands of female researchers, researchers and institutions. The initiative promoted by the European Commission involves all the institutions and research centres of the city to tell of the passion, discoveries and challenges of male and female researchers through exhibitions, shows, workshops, demonstrations, concerts, scientific games, activities for schools, conferences and hundreds of other initiatives aimed at the public. 

SHARPER- SHAring Researchers' Passion for Enhanced Roadmaps is the name of one of the Italian projects supported by the European Commission for the realisation of the European Researchers' Night.

The participation of the University of Trieste and the research and higher education institutions adhering to the Trieste City of Knowledge Protocol is coordinated at a territorial level by the Immaginario Scientifico, which hosts the dissemination activities of the Researchers' Night at Magazzino 26, in Trieste's Porto Vecchio, in schools and in other city venues.

At national level, the SHARPER project is coordinated by the science communication company Psiquadro, in collaboration with a consortium comprising the National Institute of Nuclear Physics - INFN, five Italian universities (the Università Politecnica delle Marche, the University of Cagliari, the University of Catania, the University of Palermo, the University of Perugia), the Immaginario Scientifico and the Observa Science in Society association, with over 170 institutions, cultural partners and research bodies involved.

FameLab is an international talent show dedicated to science communication. The contestants, young researchers, must be able to tell a scientific topic in three minutes in a clear and engaging way for an audience of non-experts, without the aid of projections, graphics or videos. A handful of seconds and words to express their communicative talent, convince the jury and convey the fascination of research.

The initiative, conceived by the Cheltenham Festival, was promoted by the British Council in over 30 countries worldwide until 2021. From 2022 the competition is organised in Italy by Psiquadro in collaboration with the Cheltenham Science Festival.

The local selection is organised by Immaginario Scientifico, the University of Trieste, the University of Udine, SISSA - Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati and the Municipality of Trieste, as part of the Trieste City of Knowledge Protocol. 

FameLab Italia foresees pre-selections in several Italian cities before reaching the national final, which every year concludes the events of the SHARPER marathon - European Researchers' Night. The winner of FameLab Italia then participates in the FameLab International final, to be held in Cheltenam in autumn, together with other competitors from all over the world.

In 2024, gECO is born, the first podcast of the University of Trieste. The initiative, available on the online streaming platform Spotify since May 1st, features conversations with ecology experts to engage listeners with current environmental issues.
gECO aims to disseminate accurate information to support actions that, starting from the individual, can evolve into virtuous examples for society as a whole. This is why, throughout the various episodes, the podcast also includes thematic segments and discusses practical examples and concrete cases that provide useful suggestions for reducing one's environmental impact.
The project originates from the Master's degree program in Ecology and Sustainability of Global Change at the University of Trieste and is entirely produced by students, under the scientific supervision of faculty members from the Department of Life Sciences. It is part of the integrative training activities that the program offers its students to promote the acquisition of soft skills and communication abilities useful for entering the job market.
The gECO Podcasts are released bi-weekly, with each episode lasting approximately 30 minutes. All episodes are available at the following link.

Contacts: Instagram; gecopodcast@gmail.com.