Last night, a packed Piazza Verdi hosted the University of Trieste's Graduation Day, held in the heart of the city for the first time ever. The academic ceremony celebrating 170 new PhD graduates from UniTS turned into a public event open to the public, featuring science outreach, music and other university proceedings. 

Included in the official Triestestate calendar, the evening also marked the last public event for Rector Roberto Di Lenarda, who chose to end his term alongside young researchers and fellow members of the public. 

‘We wanted to bring Graduation Day to the city centre,’ said Di Lenarda, ‘to once again emphasise the strong bond between the University and Trieste, which we have consolidated thanks to the University’s 100th Anniversary celebrations. I am both delighted and honoured to conclude my services to the academic community alongside the young people who represent the excellence of our education system and our fellow citizens, who are the ultimate beneficiaries of our research. I end my rectorship with the message that knowledge must be implemented, shared, communicated and, above all, sustained, because only by investing in the education of young people and research will we ensure a prosperous future for our country.’

The keynote speaker was Rosario Rizzuto, former rector of the University of Padua and now president of the National Centre for Gene Therapy and Drugs based on RNA Technology, one of the strategic infrastructures of the NRRP promoted by the Italian Ministry of University and Research. His speech, entitled ‘RNA and gene therapy: new technologies for personalised medicine’, offered a glimpse into the challenges and potential of the biotechnological revolution that is transforming contemporary medicine. At the heart of his reflection was the need to accelerate the transfer of scientific research results to clinical applications through the development of new platforms capable of generating innovative RNA-based drugs and gene therapy treatments. This perspective will require significant investment in research, interdisciplinary collaboration and industrial innovation to make personalised medicine increasingly advanced, sustainable and accessible.

The ceremony highlighted the international atmosphere and vitality of the University's doctoral programmes. The 170 new PhD graduates represent the highest number in the history of the University of Trieste, with an increase of 28% compared to the previous year. The students’ origins, spanning Europe, Asia, Africa and America, also include researchers from countries affected by serious international crises, testimony to the role of science as a resource for building spaces for dialogue and peace.

During Roberto Di Lenarda's term as rector, the University's PhD programmes have seen significant growth in scholarship numbers, total enrolments and the appeal of the programmes on offer. 'Between 2019 and 2024,' says Prof. Alessandro Baraldi, Deputy Rector for Scientific Research and Doctorates, 'the number of places available has increased from 138 to 185 (up by 34%), the total number of enrolments in doctoral programmes has grown from 348 to 549, an increase of 57.8%, while the number of candidates for admission tests has increased from 667 to 1,268, an increase of 90.5%.’

This growth has come alongside a strengthening of employment prospects. One year after graduation, 85% of UniTS PhD graduates are employed, with 26% in the private sector and 15% engaged in industrial innovation. And while 17% of graduates have started their careers abroad, 68.2% are currently contributing to the economic and social growth of Italy’s North-East.

Hosted by journalist Marinella Chirico, the evening went from institutional speeches – with greetings from the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, the Municipality of Trieste and Fondazione CRTrieste – to educational proceedings and musical interludes with Ben & the Soul Sisters, composed of Joy Jenkins, Michela Grilli and Sara Roversi, accompanied on piano by Marco Ballaben. The event concluded with the traditional cap toss, a symbol of the end of one’s studies and obtaining a PhD degree.

Graduation Day was organised with the contribution of Fondazione CRTrieste and was part of the Triestestate summer festival, promoted by the Municipality of Trieste – Department of Culture and Tourism, with the collaboration of the Department of Education and Family Policies, the Department of Territorial Policies, PromoTurismoFVG and the Trieste Convention & Visitors Bureau.