The X-Culture Global Business Week has begun in Trieste, transforming the city into a global international business laboratory until 8 August. For the first time, the University of Trieste is hosting and organising the final event of a programme that brings together universities, students and businesses through hands-on experience in developing business projects and multicultural collaboration.

The Trieste edition, organised by the Department of Economics, Business, Mathematics and Statistics “Bruno de Finetti” – DEAMS together with X-Culture’s international organising committee, brings together almost 150 selected students from 36 countries, alongside academics, researchers, managers and professionals from different continents.

The plenary sessions are taking place at MIB Trieste School of Management, a partner of the event, while the awards ceremony will be held on Friday, 7 August, during the closing evening, which will also include a gala dinner in Piazzale Europa.

The event marks the culmination of an international educational programme that is unique in both scale and structure. Since its launch in 2010, X-Culture has involved more than 130,000 students from 701 universities and 115 countries, organised into over 16,000 international teams. Participants work remotely, communicating in English across different time zones, cultures and academic backgrounds to develop solutions to real-world challenges set by companies around the globe.

Some of the best-performing students in the 2026 edition have travelled to Trieste after being selected on the basis of the results achieved during the international online phase. They include seven students from the University of Trieste, whose participation is supported by DEAMS and the Fondazione Pietro Pittini, which has long been committed to promoting educational and international opportunities for young people.

The initiative’s Lead Host is Rector Donata Vianelli, Professor of International and Cross-Cultural Marketing, who over the past fifteen years has involved more than 700 University of Trieste students in the project.

“Global Business Week offers students an experience that reflects the complexity of international work in a very tangible way: people with different languages, cultures and backgrounds are called upon to work together to develop solutions for real companies. At the same time, initiatives of this kind strengthen Trieste’s role as an international platform for education and innovation, capable of attracting talent, building connections with the business community and contributing to the economic development of the local area through the University’s global outlook,” said Donata Vianelli.

The organisation directly involves UniTS academics Guido Bortoluzzi, who is also Academic Director of MIB’s MBA in International Business, Andrea Tracogna, who also serves as Dean of MIB, and Rubina Romanello, together with researcher Chiara Marinelli, MIB lecturer Stefano Pilotto, the University’s administrative staff and around ten students involved in preparing and managing the event.

Universities and companies working together on real-world challenges

A central feature of Global Business Week is the collaboration between the University and its partner companies and organisations, some of which represent the economic and cultural fabric of Friuli Venezia Giulia: Assicurazioni Generali, Barilla, Modiano, Fondazione ITS – International Talent Support, Associazione Caffè Trieste and Genuino.

Students are engaging directly with managers and professionals and are being asked to develop analyses, strategies and potential solutions to the real cases and challenges presented by the partner organisations.

This collaboration enables international students to learn more about local businesses, supply chains and organisations, while giving the participating partners the opportunity to gather ideas and perspectives developed by talented young people from a wide range of cultural and academic backgrounds.

Internationally renowned academics

Among the most influential academics attending the event in Trieste is Vasyl “Vas” Taras, Professor of International Business at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, founder of X-Culture and one of the leading experts on multicultural teams and global working groups collaborating remotely.

The event also involves 22 international business academics and experts from universities and institutions in several countries. They include Richard Griffith, Professor of Industrial and Organisational Psychology at the Florida Institute of Technology and Director of the Institute for Culture, Collaboration and Management. His areas of expertise range from international management and cross-cultural collaboration to the development of the skills required to work in complex international environments.

A week working as international consultants

During Global Business Week, participants meet company representatives, analyse the challenges assigned to them, visit company premises and other organisations, and take part in workshops, training sessions and mentoring activities with international academics.

The teams will develop their proposals and submit them to the faculty for an initial assessment and further refinement. At the end of the week, they will present their strategic recommendations to company representatives and an international panel of academics. The best solutions will be recognised during the closing awards ceremony.

The programme also includes opportunities to discover Trieste, its scientific community and its economic and international history.

The event is supported by ARDiS – the Regional Agency for the Right to Higher Education, Fondazione Pietro Pittini, illycaffè, MIB Trieste School of Management, the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia and Trieste Trasporti. Upon their arrival in Trieste, the international group of students and academics was also welcomed by Confcommercio Trieste and FIPE.