The creation of a new professional profile specialising in climate risk modelling and its correlation with financial markets is the aim of a 15-year agreement signed by the University of Trieste, Generali, and ModeFinance, a TeamSystem Group company and spin-off of the University.

The project, Climate and Financial Risk Analysis in the Market Ecosystem, will support, starting from the next academic year, the recently launched curriculum in Physics of Complex Systems, Climate and Finance within the Master’s Degree in Physics – a programme that is entirely new in the national landscape.

Thanks to the contribution of these three organisations, an additional teaching post will be created within the programme, and a doctoral scholarship in Physics on the topic will be funded. An initial chair has already been funded by the University, as it is considered strategic within the activities of the Department of Physics, recognised as a Department of Excellence.

The new lecturer will join the academic staff at UniTS, bringing innovation to the crucial area of quantitative risk assessment associated with climate change. This will make it possible to train new modelling experts capable of assessing critical issues (markets, finance, damage, floods, rainfall, etc.) linked to the rapid evolution of the climate. The collaboration between the University of Trieste and these two major business players will be further strengthened through their involvement in teaching activities with lectures and seminars, providing students with specific and practical skills, as well as in project and research activities.

The curriculum also already benefits from the active involvement of other institutions and businesses in the Trieste System, including ARPA FVG and List SpA, through various forms of collaboration in teaching.

Roberto Di Lenarda, Rector of the University of Trieste, stated:
‘The creation of this new programme is one of the brightest examples of the innovative character and alignment with labour market needs of our master’s degrees. Together with Generali, who support us in various teaching and research projects, and ModeFinance, we have succeeded in enhancing the skills offered by the Master’s Degree in Physics with an operational approach closely tied to today’s challenges. Our students will benefit from the close relationship with two top-level business partners.’

Carlo Ferraresi, Group Chief Risk Officer of Generali, commented:
‘This initiative is not simply an academic agreement, but the realisation of a shared vision: to build the skills of the future to tackle one of the most complex and urgent challenges of our time. At Generali, we want to contribute to the resilience of communities and businesses, not only through compensation but by anticipating risks, guiding behaviours, and promoting sustainability through mitigation and adaptation to climate change. This requires professionals capable of understanding the complexity of environmental, social, and financial phenomena, and that is precisely the objective of the curriculum and doctoral scholarship we are announcing today. It is no coincidence that this initiative is taking place in Trieste, a city with a world-class scientific ecosystem and home to our historic headquarters.’

Valentino Pediroda, Co-Founder and CEO of ModeFinance, a TeamSystem Group company, concluded:
‘ModeFinance was founded as a spin-off of the University of Trieste and has maintained a solid and continuous relationship with the academic world since its inception. We are particularly proud to launch this collaboration, which aims to train a new highly qualified and multidisciplinary professional profile. The integrated theoretical-practical educational path, with project and research activities, represents a concrete opportunity to respond to current and future market challenges. We believe that professionals trained through this programme will make a significant contribution to climate risk analysis and management and credit rating, in a context where sustainability and financial resilience are increasingly central and interconnected.’

PHOTO: Valentino Pediroda, Co- founder e AD Modefinance; Roberto Di Lenarda, Rettore Università di Trieste; Carlo Ferraresi, Group Chief Risk Officer Generali; Giuseppe Della Ricca, Direttore Dipartimento di Fisica UniTS.