The DIGILAFS project (Digitisation of the Antonio Fonda Savio Legacy), promoted by the University of Trieste’s Library and Museum Services, seeks to enhance and preserve the documentary section of the Antonio Fonda Savio Legacy, held within the Writers and Regional Culture Archive.

DIGILAFS is one of the projects funded by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region as part of the regional call for proposals for “Interventions aimed at promoting the use of ICT solutions and augmented reality for the benefit of cultural operators” under the PR FESR 2021-2027 funds.

The approved €63,440 of funding will cover all expenses for the duration of the project, which is set to last 24 months. Project activities began on 1 July and will include the purchase of a professional planetary scanner for the purpose of document digitisation.

The documentary section of the Antonio Fonda Savio Legacy consists of personal documents and heterogeneous materials of particular importance, including a collection of letters by Pietro Nobile (414 items), historiographical documents relating to the world wars, family documents, records, postcards, photographs and 313 historic documents (parchments, papal bulls, proclamations).

The collection’s variety and historical interest coupled with the extremely fragile condition of most of the paper documents mean that its digitisation and online promotion are essential if this particular piece of cultural heritage is to be valorised and made accessible to potential interested parties.

The long-term objective of the project is to complete the digitisation of the cultural heritage preserved in the Archive of Writers and Regional Culture and, in the short term, to scan at least 40% of the documentary section of the Fonda Savio Legacy, in order to make it accessible to the public via the regional portal and the University Museum Services portal.

The project Compassionate Leadership – CompAct has been officially launched. Promoted and funded by the Veneto Region, it is part of a strategic intervention plan aimed at addressing the increasingly alarming rise in unplanned resignations. The project seeks to adapt the compassionate leadership model to the Italian healthcare context, proposing a leadership style capable of recognizing workplace distress, understanding its causes, and intervening to foster a more sustainable work organization — one that is centered on the idea of “caring for those who care.”

The University of Trieste is a key scientific partner in the adaptation and validation phase of the international model to the Italian context, alongside the Universities of Milan, Padua, and Verona. Representing UniTS are Prof. Sara Cervai (Work and Organizational Psychology) and Prof. Gabriele Blasutig (Organizational Sociology), both from the Department of Political and Social Sciences.

The project addresses the challenges posed by the so-called “Great Resignation” and the growing unease among healthcare workers, by promoting an approach based on mutual care, relational responsibility, and organizational wellbeing.

Developed with the scientific contributions of Michael West (King’s Fund UK), compassionate leadership is a model already successfully tested in several European countries, particularly in the United Kingdom. It has proven effective in improving workplace climate, reducing burnout, and increasing satisfaction among both healthcare professionals and patients — especially in emotionally demanding environments like healthcare settings.

“At the international level, results are promising,” said Prof. Sara Cervai. “We need to understand how this model can work in the Italian context, within a public healthcare system where people are experiencing alarming levels of distress. We are aware of the impact that leadership roles can have on staff wellbeing, and we aim to support both leaders and collaborators in regaining motivation and wellbeing in their professional practice, through a scientific approach.”

CompAct is a two-year action-research project, with field trials conducted in two Venetian Local Health Units (ULSS 3 Serenissima and ULSS 4 Veneto Orientale), involving both top and middle management in three operational units (internal medicine, emergency services, and primary care).

Within this framework, the University of Trieste is responsible for the cultural adaptation of the model, through translation, reworking, and comparison with existing best practices, in close dialogue with the professionals involved. The following stages will include implementation within healthcare organizations, scientific validation, and dissemination of results.
“There are many cultural and linguistic challenges ahead,” Cervai explained, “starting with the very meaning of the word compassionate, which in Italian must be understood as empathy and support, not as pity or sentimentality.”

The other academic partners will be in charge of quantitative validation (Prof. Paolo Gubitta, University of Padua), qualitative validation (Prof. Elisa Ambrosi, University of Verona), and dissemination (Prof. Federico Lega, University of Milan). The Veneto Region will oversee both the coordination and the implementation within the participating healthcare organizations.

The project’s kick-off meeting was held in Venice, at the Scuola Grande di San Marco Evangelista, in the presence of the Regional Minister of Health and the General Director for Health of the Veneto Region, the General Directors of the two participating ULSS units, and university representatives.

This initiative is part of the strategic actions outlined in Resolution No. 960/2024 of the Veneto Region to tackle the retention crisis in the public healthcare sector and stands as a virtuous example of collaboration between institutions, academia, and the healthcare system.

On 28th July, the World Health Organization (WHO) marks World Hepatitis Day with the aim of raising public awareness about viral infections affecting the liver and promoting effective strategies for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

On this occasion, Professor Lory Crocè, Professor of Gastroenterology at the University of Trieste and Heaf of the Department of Liver Diseases at the local healthcare provider (ASUGI), is promoting a free screening day open to the public.

This initiative offers everyone the opportunity to access simple but essential tests to assess liver health and detect early signs of viral hepatitis infection. Available screenings include a rapid capillary test for hepatitis C, targeted at individuals excluded from regional screening (born before 1969 or after 1989), as well as blood sampling for serological screening offered to people within the specified age group. Thanks to collaboration with Echosens, participants will also have access to FibroScan examinations, a non-invasive test measuring liver stiffness to detect signs of fibrosis.

Chronic viral hepatitis remains a significant public health threat, partly because it often remains asymptomatic for years until severe complications such as cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma develop. The spread of hepatitis C, in particular, was facilitated for decades by the lack of effective therapies and low awareness of the risks. Today, however, thanks to direct-acting antiviral drugs, over 98% of patients can be cured with short, well-tolerated, and easy-to-administer treatments. Early identification of infection is therefore crucial to halting its spread and reducing disease progression and mortality.

Regarding hepatitis B, research has also yielded important results: the compulsory vaccination introduced in Italy in 1992 has significantly reduced new cases, while nucleos(t)ide analogue therapies effectively suppress viral replication, improving the quality and life expectancy of people with chronic liver disease.

The screening event organised by the Complex Unit of Liver Diseases is made possible thanks to the collaboration and patronage of the University of Trieste, ASUGI, the Trieste Physiologists’ Association, the Trieste Nursing Professionals’ Association, the main Italian scientific societies in hepatology and gastroenterology – ASIF, FISMAD, and SIGE – as well as LILT. Patient associations including EpaC and AMAF, along with FIF health workers providing health education and information, also play a key role during the day.

Those interested can book a place by calling +39 040 3992953 on Tuesdays and Fridays from 11:00 to 12:00. Places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Italian Cultural Institute in Cairo hosted a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the bilateral agreement between Italy and Egypt on scientific and technological cooperation, on the occasion of Italian Research Day in the World (giornata della ricerca italiana nel mondo).

The University of Trieste was represented by Vice-Rector Valter Sergo, who spoke during the session dedicated to opportunities for collaboration between universities and industry.

In his speech, Sergo presented Trieste as ‘a city with one of the highest densities of researchers in relation to its population’, emphasising the role of the University as the central hub of an integrated scientific system, open to international engagement and strongly oriented towards innovation.

It is not only an ideal learning environment for students and researchers, but also an attractive environment for high-tech companies interested in investing in research and development.

The event was promoted by the Italian Embassy in Cairo in collaboration with the Science, Technology and Innovation Funding Authority (STDF), the department of the Egyptian Ministry of Research responsible for implementing the three-year executive programme provided for in the agreement.

In addition to presenting the projects in progress in the period 2024–2026, the celebration fostered discussion on strategic issues between universities and companies from both countries: from artificial intelligence to space technologies, and from cultural heritage to medicine, the global challenges of climate and the water-energy-food nexus.

The University of Trieste's participation is part of the broader framework of the University's international relations, which for years has promoted scientific and academic cooperation with partners in the Mediterranean, Africa and the Middle East.

The virtual exhibition Italy in Antarctica is now online, created to mark the 46th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM XLVI) and the 26th Meeting of the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP XXVI), hosted in Milan for the 2025 edition.

The exhibition explores Italy’s scientific presence in Antarctica, highlighting operational infrastructure, the governance model of the National Antarctic Research Programme (PNRA), and Italy’s strategic role in international cooperation on the continent.

Among the contributors to the project is the National Museum of Antarctica, which has exhibition sites at the Universities of Trieste, Genoa and Siena. The Museum serves as a national hub for the promotion and dissemination of scientific knowledge about Antarctica.

The initiative provides a valuable opportunity to share the findings of research conducted in the White Continent, with a particular focus on:

• environmental protection and management of ASPAs (Antarctic Specially Protected Areas)
• studies on the Marine Protected Area in the Ross Sea
• research on ecosystems and climate change
• pollutant monitoring
• results from Antarctic ice core drilling

The exhibition is accessible via direct link or by scanning the attached QR code. 

The University of Trieste is strengthening its commitment to research and training in the fight against primary liver cancer, one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide. In collaboration with Italian Liver Foundation (FIF), the Italian League for the Fight Against Cancer – Provincial Association of Trieste (LILT), and the local healthcare service ASUGI, the University is set to establish a shared operational protocol for the creation of themed working groups.

The agreement was announced during a multidisciplinary seminar held at FIF’s headquarters in Trieste, as part of an initiative dedicated to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The event brought together researchers, clinicians and students with the aim of promoting an integrated approach to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of HCC.

Professor Saveria Lory Crocè, Professor of Gastroenterology at the University of Trieste and Director of the Departmental University Clinic of Liver Diseases, highlighted the importance of technological innovation in tackling liver cancer:
"In today’s diagnostic and clinical landscape, there is a lack of standardised biomarkers and clinical indicators for the early diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. New tools based on artificial intelligence will undoubtedly play a key role, a major area of research at our university.”

"Throughout the day," added Claudio Tiribelli, Scientific Director of the Italian Liver Foundation, “the focus was placed on the importance of primary and secondary prevention, early diagnosis, and multidisciplinary care of patients, as well as the need to invest in education and scientific outreach to raise public awareness about chronic liver diseases. The meeting ended with a clear message: only by pooling expertise, resources and vision can we improve the prevention and treatment of liver cancer, for the benefit of both patients and the wider community.”

The operational protocol between UniTS, FIF, LILT and ASUGI marks a significant step forward in establishing a structured collaboration, based on joint scientific research projects, academic training and public health initiatives that serve both the region and the scientific community.

Health, local communities, prevention, and public awareness are the key themes of Health Between Land and Sea, a new public engagement and social responsibility project launched by the Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences (DSM) at the University of Trieste, starting on Saturday, June 21.

The initiative features a program of educational, sports, and experiential activities held in everyday settings such as the coastline, the sea, and the Karst Plateau. It aims to strengthen the connection between health, the local environment, and physical activity, while building a network of institutions, sports associations, and scientific organizations committed to promoting good prevention practices.

The project is funded through the University’s Public and Social Engagement Call – part of its Third Mission activities – which annually supports initiatives developed by departments to foster cultural growth, social development, public well-being, and quality of life.

"Beyond teaching and research," said Luigi Murena, Director of DSM, "the University must promote knowledge and culture. The event on Saturday, June 21 aligns perfectly with this goal. The program focuses on the theme of safety, conveyed and demonstrated in its many forms. Together with numerous partners, we have designed an engaging and stimulating program for the entire community."

The project, presented in the City Council Hall, is organized in partnership with the Municipality of Trieste—Departments for Urban Policy and for Sports and Public Property—and in collaboration with ASUGI (Local Health Authority), ICGEB, IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, Pallanuoto Trieste Samer&Co. Shipping, Trieste Campus, Triestina Nuoto Samer&Co. Shipping, and Band of Rescue – FIN Salvamento.

"With this first event," added Alex Buoite Stella, DSM delegate for public engagement, "we aim to meet citizens where they spend their leisure time. Our goal is to promote awareness of the benefits of community-based prevention and, at the same time, highlight the safety measures needed to manage and reduce risks—specifically those related to swimming and seaside activities. Information and prevention will be the key themes of the day."

One of the most popular summer gathering spots in Trieste, Barcola’s Pine Grove, will host the day’s activities, which begin in the morning. After the opening of the information stand and official greetings, attendees can join a physical warm-up session led by the Trieste Campus team. Young athletes from Triestina Nuoto will then dive into the sea for a live open-water swimming demonstration, followed by a canine rescue demonstration by Band of Rescue – FIN Salvamento. In the afternoon, players from Pallanuoto Trieste will hold a water polo training session. The day will conclude at 6 p.m. with a public talk focusing on the benefits and risks associated with sun exposure, swimming, and water rescue, featuring contributions from professors, doctors, and safety experts.

Upcoming events in the Health Between Land and Sea project include two community hikes, scheduled for September 2025 during the European Mobility Week, and March 2026, offering citizens the chance to discover the diverse trails and natural richness of the Trieste Karst.

The DNA of a freshwater jellyfish of non-native origin, specifically Asian (Craspedacusta sowerbii), has been detected in the underground waters of the Timavo River inside the Luftloch cave, recently discovered by the Adriatic Speleological Society.

This significant scientific discovery is the result of collaboration between the University of Trieste, the Adriatic Speleological Society (SAS), and the Trieste Civic Museum of Natural History.

The sampling and analyses were carried out by the research group coordinated by Chiara Manfrin of the Department of Life Sciences at UniTS, as part of a project aimed at monitoring biodiversity in subterranean environments through the use of environmental DNA (eDNA). This innovative technique makes it possible to detect genetic traces left by organisms in their habitat, allowing the identification of species that are not easily observed.

‘This method allows us, by filtering water, to detect genetic traces left by organisms in the surrounding environment, thus enabling the identification of species that are difficult to observe directly,’ explains Manfrin. ‘The results revealed the presence of Craspedacusta sowerbii DNA, a non-native species originating in China, harmless to humans but whose effects on Karst ecosystems are under study.’

The discovery follows on from previous observations of the jellyfish in the Slovenian section of the Reka-Timavo since 2016, conducted by the Trieste Civic Museum of Natural History and published in a scientific note by Nicola Bressi and Andrea Colla. The genetic confirmation obtained now further strengthens the hypothesis of the species’ presence in the underground waters of the Karst.

From 5th to 8th June 2025, the Department of Engineering and Architecture of the University of Trieste will take part, together with Italian and Slovenian partners, in GOin4SAFETY, a large-scale cross-border exercise focused on environmental emergency management and disaster prevention. The event will take place across Gorizia, Nova Gorica and Šempeter-Vrtojba.

The initiative is part of the IN4SAFETY project, funded by the Interreg Italy–Slovenia Programme, and aims to strengthen joint response capacities in neighbouring areas across national borders. Through its Department of Engineering and Architecture, the University of Trieste contributes with research, education and technology transfer activities, particularly in the areas of environmental data georeferencing and the identification of target groups involved.

GOin4SAFETY will bring together over 500 participants from Friuli Venezia Giulia, Veneto, Slovenia, Croatia and Germany, including civil protection personnel, security forces, organised volunteer groups and local authorities, who will operate in complex scenarios such as earthquakes, landslides, wildfires, hazardous materials incidents and climate change-related impacts.

The programme also includes training sessions for municipal staff, volunteers, students and members of the public, as well as a command post exercise simulating large-scale emergency situations.

GOin4SAFETY offers a tangible example of European cooperation at the local level, and promotes a shared culture of prevention, risk management and territorial safety. The project is coordinated by the Municipality of Ajdovščina and involves, among others, the Geodetic Institute of Slovenia, the Metropolitan City of Venice, the International Institute of Sociology of Gorizia, the Nova Gorica Fire and Rescue Service and the University of Trieste.

For further information: 
Interreg Italia - Slovenija Site International
Institute of Sociology of Gorizia Site

The University of Trieste took part in the presentation of the new Manifesto for Public Engagement, promoted by APEnet – the Italian Network of Universities and Research Bodies for Public Engagement.

The Manifesto, the result of a collaborative and open process involving the network’s 57 members – universities, research institutions, polytechnics and high schools across Italy – updates the Association’s identity and, for the first time, outlines a shared direction.

It calls for:

• the integration of Public Engagement into the strategic plans of universities and research institutions;
• recognition of its value in career pathways and research evaluation systems;
• the promotion of a culture of participation and collaboration among all stakeholders;
• support for lifelong learning, open science, and the active involvement of new generations.

The document sets out a crucial vision for strengthening alliances between research and civil society, with the aim of bridging the gap between science and the public.

Inspired by the latest European recommendations on the social role of research, the Manifesto underlines the urgent need to enhance the public value of knowledge by promoting processes of listening, dialogue, collaboration and co-creation as key elements for generating cultural, social and economic impact.

“The APEnet Manifesto,” explained Giulia Carluccio, outgoing President of APEnet and Vice-Rector of the University of Turin, “is a key step in accelerating a paradigm shift within the research institutions of our country. Universities and research bodies are committed to producing and enhancing knowledge through listening, dialogue and collaboration in order to address current and future challenges together with society.”

New APEnet Board of Directors

Alongside the presentation of the Manifesto, APEnet elected its new board of directors, who will lead the Association for the next three years.

The board includes:

• Irene Baldriga (University of Rome La Sapienza)
• Pier Andrea Serra (University of Sassari)
• Giorgio Chiarelli (Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics - INFN)
• Elisa Ascani (University of Florence)
• Elisabetta Bani (University of Bergamo)
• Andrea Attanasio (University of Calabria)
• Valentina Lomi (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia)
• Alessandro Zennaro (University of Turin)
• Monica Guerra (University of Milan Bicocca)

Pier Andrea Serra has been appointed President and will be supported by two Vice-Presidents: Irene Baldriga and Elisabetta Bani.

What is APEnet?

APEnet – the Italian Network of Universities and Research Bodies for Public Engagement – has been active since 2018 and was formally established as an Association in 2022 to consolidate and give visibility to the role of Public Engagement in Italy.

Public Engagement is a set of values and institutional actions undertaken by universities and research institutions to foster social, cultural and economic development in collaboration with all societal actors. It is a dynamic process of interaction aimed at progressively closing the gap between research and society, addressing new challenges that take local identities into account and recognising the contribution of all those involved, thereby amplifying the impact of their work.

APEnet serves as a space for dialogue, research and development of tools and actions, sharing and strengthening the knowledge and skills needed to drive the cultural transformation that sees universities and research bodies as key actors in promoting the country’s inclusive growth through listening, dialogue and collaboration with society.