‘A university’s budget, and in particular its Social Report, is the starting point for defining a vision and a strategy for the future.’ With these words, Rector Donata Vianelli opened the Trieste stage of the national Oscar di Bilancio Roadshow, hosted in the Ceremony Hall of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Regional Palace and dedicated to financial and sustainability reporting in the relationship between enterprises, organisations and stakeholders.

‘The university world has undergone profound changes in recent years and is becoming increasingly complex,’ Vianelli observed. ‘This complexity is reflected in teaching, which must begin with listening to the needs of the community and guide students to become who they aspire to be.’

‘Research, too, is complex,’ she continued. ‘Basic research is the engine that can generate applied research, bringing direct benefits to the community. Innovation creates value only if it is able to support local enterprises. The university,’ she concluded, ‘must be a hub for dialogue, where companies can share their needs, but where universities must also put forward new projects.’

Rector Vianelli emphasised the importance of the Social Report for the University of Trieste, which has published it consistently since 2020. She also underlined the central role of gender equality: thanks to an initiative launched by the former Rector, the proportion of full professors who are women at UniTS has risen from 20 to 28 per cent.

The event focused on the importance of engaging stakeholders and the wider community, both to generate value and to demonstrate the positive impact of organisational actions through reporting tools. Transparency and rigour in communicating results were highlighted as essential conditions for building trust and credibility.

Now in its 61st edition, the Oscar di Bilancio Roadshow is promoted by the Italian federation for public relations (FERPI) together with Bocconi University and Borsa Italiana, with Deloitte as technical supporter and Il Sole 24 Ore as media partner. FERPI, as organiser, reaffirmed its commitment to ethical communication, even in an era of rapid technological change, promoting a culture of transparency and rigour in relations with the wider public.

The Trieste event featured the participation of Regional Councillor Alessia Rosolen and representatives of some of the area’s leading businesses, including Fincantieri, Generali and illycaffè, confirming the role of the Social Report as a tool for dialogue between institutions, enterprises and civil society.