The 14th edition of the Ciamician Summer School, organised by the University of Trieste’s Department of Engineering and Architecture, has come to an end. Nineteen students and PhD candidates from seven countries gathered at Passo Monte Croce Comelico, in the heart of the Dolomites, to explore key aspects of the energy transition alongside leading experts in the field.

Selected from around forty applications submitted by candidates from Italian and European universities, the participants followed an interdisciplinary programme focusing on the main challenges of decarbonisation: sustainable construction materials, renewable energy sources, the evolution of the electricity system, sustainable mobility, critical raw materials, and the economic, social, geopolitical and regulatory implications of the energy transition.

The Summer School brought together 22 lecturers from Italian and European universities, research institutions and companies, including University College London, the Technical University of Munich, Hasselt University, the Polytechnic University of Milan, the University of Padua, the University of Salerno, Area Science Park and CNR-INM. The opening lecture was delivered by climatologist Filippo Giorgi, one of the authors recognised with the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The speakers also included internationally renowned experts Paul Ekins of UCL and Carlo Bottasso of TUM.

Six participants received scholarships covering their registration fees thanks to the support of Edilgroup, a holding company committed to developing sustainable solutions for the construction sector, a strategic industry for reducing CO₂ emissions and achieving the objectives of the energy transition.

Named after Trieste-born chemist Giacomo Ciamician, one of the first scientists to recognise the potential of solar energy, the Summer School was established in 2010 and co-founded by Maurizio Fermeglia, Rector Emeritus of the University of Trieste, who recently passed away. This year’s edition was dedicated to his memory.