The European Researchers' Night - Sharper in 2024 represented an important initiative for scientific outreach, taking place simultaneously with the Trieste Next festival. This event saw the participation of professors, researchers, and research fellows from the University, who offered activities to the public in the Knowledge Village, set up in Piazza Unità d’Italia from September 27 to 29.

The highlight of the initiative occurred on the final Friday of the month, in line with similar events that took place across Europe, promoted by the European Commission as part of the Marie Curie actions. In Trieste, the organization was managed by Immaginario Scientifico, in collaboration with the Municipality and local research institutions.

Since the beginning of September, the Researchers' Night attracted thousands of people, with initiatives involving 1,500 school students participating in "An Hour with the Researcher." On Friday morning, 1,850 participants took part in the School Program, coordinated with Trieste Next. Although it is difficult to quantify the exact number of visitors present in Piazza Unità, attendance at the booths was significant, with many people eager to discover through games and discussions with researchers.

Young participants had the opportunity to explore new health technologies, discover innovative treatments for genetic diseases, and learn about Earth science, the sea, and biodiversity, extending even to science in science fiction. Additionally, visitors were able to see the icebreaker ship Laura Bassi, which was open for guided tours, while shows took place in the square, at the Teatro Miela, and at the Revoltella Museum, further enriching the experience of this grand celebration of research and science.

This page has been temporarily translated using AI. A revised translation by the University Language Centre (CLA) will be uploaded soon.

The European Researchers' Night was held simultaneously on 29 September 2023 in hundreds of European cities. In Trieste it animated the Porto Vecchio with games, shows, workshops, demonstrations and talks. Engaging and participatory activities dedicated to adults and children, to establish an open and informal dialogue with researchers on topical issues such as artificial intelligence, climate change, sustainability, and the health of the sea and people. Astronomy, neuroscience, sociology, nutrition, investigative techniques, and personalities such as Stradivarius and Oppenheimer were also discussed.

The initiative had a preview on Saturday 2 September as part of the Maker Faire in Piazza Unità d'Italia, where Street Science, the Night's signature event, was held, with researchers engaged in mini 'street' conferences. Schools were instead involved from 25 September with classroom meetings to discover the research profession through the words of those who carry it out on a daily basis.

A Researchers' Night dedicated to science, in memory of Piero Angela, a point of reference and a connection between the worlds of communication, research, and education. The initiative took place for the first time in 2022 in the Old Port of Trieste. Many events were organized at the Immaginario Scientifico and Sala Luttazzi, aimed at bringing the public into contact with the researchers who work in the city's scientific institutes every day.
In 2022, the presence of schools was significant: over 800 students, from preschool to secondary schools, participated in events dedicated to them throughout the week, with researchers visiting their classrooms or participating in shows about figures such as Rosalind Franklin and Paolo Budinich. The show dedicated to the latter, the founding father of the Trieste scientific system, was also an opportunity to reflect on the role of science as a tool for peace and integration.
Visitors could choose from meetings, games, workshops, shows, and demonstrations on topics such as climate change, sustainable development, the health of the seas and the planet, nutrition, neuroscience, and smart cities. The research institutes involved succeeded in leaving their laboratories to reach out to citizens, creating a direct contact with them.

The Researchers' Night in Trieste in 2021 took place in the city center and its immediate surroundings, reaching all the way to Magazzino 26 in Porto Vecchio. The central location of the event was the Città della Conoscenza Village in Piazza Unità d'Italia, during the Trieste Next festival, with many in-person and remote meetings and performances. The online event Quattro chiacchiere in fondo al mare opened the night, a live immersion in the waters of the Miramare Marine Protected Area, where a diving biologist described some characteristics of the marine biodiversity oasis. Instead, under the Municipio porticoes, Street Science took place, an event featuring short "street" conferences, curated by Science Industries. The Talk Area in Piazza Verdi then saw a meeting of the Science & The City Young series, organized by ICGEB, on a delicate and important topic: the health of the youngest and the tumors in childhood and adolescence. The program also included a virtual visit to the CERN in Geneva, thanks to a live connection curated by physicist Vieri Candelise (University of Trieste and INFN Trieste). The 2021 Night also featured a new edition of the science communication talent show FameLab (Famelab Big), where presidents and directors of research institutions in Trieste competed. The evening in Piazza Unità ended with the Science Concert organized by INAF Astronomical Observatory of Trieste and Science Industries. An exceptional evening opening also took place at the Immaginario Scientifico at Magazzino 26 in Porto Vecchio. Here, the last talks were held by Elettra Synchrotron Trieste CERIC-ERIC and the students from the Luciano Fonda University College.

Online edition, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, for the SHARPER Researchers' Night 2020. The event took place on November 26, 27, and 28, with various activities designed for the audience connected from home. The main theme of all the proposals revolved around the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations for the Agenda 2030. On November 27, the main event of the night in Trieste took place: the marathon of short meetings Face to face with the researchers: chasing the Goals at Magazzino 26 in the Old Port. All 15 meetings of the program were livestreamed on the websites of Immaginario Scientifico and the newspaper Il Piccolo. Among the University of Trieste professors interviewed during the meetings were Nicolò de Manzini, on the topic of personalized medicine and primary prevention for cancer, Roberta Altin, professor of Cultural Anthropology, and Feras Kharrat, a PhD student in Medicine. Francesco Longo, professor of Physics and researcher at INFN Trieste, instead told the audience about the high-energy gamma sources observable from the ground thanks to special telescopes that exploit the so-called "Cherenkov effect", named after the scientist who studied it.

The 2019 edition of the European Researchers' Night SHARPER took place on Friday, September 27, coinciding with the Trieste Next scientific research festival. A national project funded by the European Commission with a rich program of events and many researchers involved, from afternoon to evening, for an audience of all ages. The event, as always, was organized by Immaginario Scientifico and the Municipality of Trieste with the scientific institutes of the Trieste City of Knowledge Protocol, in collaboration with numerous local and national institutions and associations, also in view of ESOF 2020 - Trieste European City of Science. This edition allowed to discover the new research vessel "Laura Bassi" of the OGS, presented for the first time exclusively to the public.