For the last six years the entire UniTS community has worked to make the University more solid, efficient and attractive to prospective students. As his term of office comes to a close, the Rector Roberto Di Lenarda leads the inauguration ceremony for the 2024-2025 academic year as UniTS begins its 101st year.

In addition to marking the fundamental tenets of his rectorate, Prof. Di Lenarda wanted to reiterate his position on two important current issues.  Firstly, the green light given to the reform that will abolish the admission test to master’s degrees in medicine and surgery, and dentistry and dental prosthetics, replacing it with exams taken at the end of the first term, and, secondly, the growth of telematic universities.

‘The significant and, in my opinion, pathological growth of online universities (which is also supported by legislation) does not only challenge us in terms of competition and alternative educational models, but also in terms of the ethics of teaching, empowered as they often are by foreign investment funds whose sole purpose is profit,’ underlined the Rector. ‘The problem is not the teaching tool itself, but its methods, purposes and objectives.’

The outgoing Rector takes a similarly strong position on the delegated law that will lead to the abolition of admission tests for master’s degrees in medicine.

‘The law must always be respected and so UniTS fully intends to respect it, but I cannot refrain from expressing my deepest opposition to changing the admission methods to degree courses in medicine and surgery, and in dentistry and dental prosthetics,’ he continued. ‘This is a dangerous, unworkable measure, which holds negative effects for many other degree courses and is founded on false premises. The regional health service does not lack practitioners, it lacks attractiveness. Admissions will remain competitive after this reform, but building a national ranking on the basis of the marks acquired in exams taken during the first term is unthinkable.’   

During the inauguration ceremony, the invited authorities who spoke wanted to leave a message of good wishes to the University.

'The relationship between Generali and the University of Trieste is long-lasting and enriched by significant collaborations,' stated Andrea Sironi, Chairman of Assicurazioni Generali. 'The sharing of knowledge and the development of new skills represent a fundamental cornerstone for people’s personal growth and an increasingly valuable asset for the community, demonstrating the vitality of the social fabric in which they take shape. In an extremely complex and competitive global context, the creation of joint projects between companies and educational institutions can build an important advantage to face and overcome the big challenges of our time. The opening ceremony of the Academic Year, which concludes the celebrations for the Centenary of the University of Trieste, is a very important moment not only because it celebrates the university institution and the value of the high educational path of the individual, but also because it represents a moment of dialogue with city institutions, private actors, and the community.'

‘The regional administration will continue to invest in knowledge, research and education, because we are fully aware that the development of our community depends on knowledge and innovation,’ said the President of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Massimiliano Fedriga. ‘Over the three-year period 2022-2024, the total funding allocated to the regional university system exceeded 80 million euros, significant resources to support teaching, research, technological innovation, the right to education, the modernisation of infrastructure and the ability to attract talent. The Region and the University of Trieste are united in a strategic alliance that will deliver important results in areas that are still crucial today, such as quantum communication, green hydrogen, life sciences, the blue economy, trade districts and the health system.’

‘The quality of life offered by any place is determined by many complex elements: the presence of businesses and therefore job opportunities, knowledge exchange, cultural events and opportunities for personal enrichment, innovation processes and propensity for innovation,’ stressed the Deputy Mayor of Trieste, Serena Tonel. ‘Every day, our municipal administration works to maintain and continue to increase the quality of life for not only its citizens but also the thousands of university students who study and live in the city. I am thinking about the public transport system, cultural activities, opportunities to initiate, set up and consolidate economic initiatives as well as career opportunities after studies. We are working, alongside other institutions in the area, with the University but also with the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, to perfect the synergy between research and its technological applications. I would like to thank President Fedriga for the investments in the public sector he has guaranteed and for the policies he has put in place to increase the attractiveness of the area for businesses and highly qualified workers. All this constitutes a system that we want to make all the more integrated and successful. The University has been able to look with pride to the past and with determination to the future, expanding its range of courses and welcoming an ever-increasing number of students, investing in the quality of teaching and research. The city of Trieste and its administration are proud of the University, an institution that has distinguished itself as an important landmark in the panorama of higher education and scientific research in Italy and rest of the world.’

Following, the key points of the speech by the Rector, Roberto Di Lenarda.

Reflections after the Rector’s six-year term (2019-2025)

‘The fundamental starting point for this governance was the improvement of teaching and of the course catalogue,’ explained Prof. Di Lenarda. ‘Thanks to the activation of more than 20 new degree courses, today the University of Trieste is one of the fastest growing Italian universities in terms of both national and international intake.’

Student intake grew by more than 30% compared to 2019-2020 (six times more than the average growth of Italian public universities). The percentage of students who enrolled from outside the region and abroad (40% in first- and second-cycle courses and 60% in third-cycle courses) confirms the University’s attractiveness and makes our target of reaching 20,000 students not only more concrete but also more tangible in the short term.

Social responsibility and historical moment

The Rector recalled the Covid-19 pandemic, a period in which UniTS stood out for its strong opposition to anti-scientific approaches, for maintaining in-person teaching (especially for students in their first years of study) at a time when this couldn’t be taken for granted and for its commitment to supporting public health. 

‘Only a few months later, on 13 July 2020, we signed the pre-agreement for the return of Narodni Dom to the Slovenian community. On 28 March 2022, President Mattarella’s participation in the inauguration ceremony for that academic year was a momentous moment not only for the University and the city of Trieste but, more generally, for Italy-Slovenia relations. Our university has been recognised as a promoter of this process, as a link and as an important mediator.’ 

In April 2024, this direction was confirmed with all due ceremony when honorary degrees were conferred on President Mattarella and former Slovenian President Borut Pahor.

Key actions and strategic investments

There has been a lot of investment in the UniTS community, both through recruitment and career progression. 75 teaching staff have joined in the past five years and a further 56 recruitments are planned in the coming months. A similar investment has been made in technical and administrative staff through the addition of 95 new recruits and a further 55 new employees will be added in 2025.  

‘We are also very proud to have launched the extraordinary recruitment plan for female teaching staff which will allow us to recruit 10 female full professors, one per department, by the end of the year,’ added Prof. Di Lenarda.

Also worth mentioning is the 6 million euros of funding planned for updating and upgrading scientific equipment and measures to make the University’s spaces more modern and welcoming.

Future prospects: growth, innovation and sustainability

‘A project which we will be, or at least I hope we will be, heavily involved in is the redevelopment of the Old Port, a great opportunity for Trieste to relaunch itself as an internationally attractive city,’ continued the Rector. ‘The new Cattinara Campus will also contribute decisively to this, an investment of over 50 million euros by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region that will bring our university to new heights in healthcare and scientific research.’ 

At the end of his speech, Prof. Di Lenarda thanked the entire UniTS community and its closest collaborators as well as the Municipality of Trieste and the FVG Region which, under the guidance of President Massimiliano Fedriga and with the commitment of the regional Councillor for University Alessia Rosolen, have given ready, generous and strategic support to the University. 

A special thanks also went to the CRTrieste Foundation that supported the cost of the prizes awarded to the ten most deserving first years at the inauguration ceremony.

The ceremony was also attended by the President of the Student Council Anna Colussi, the Representative for Technical and Administrative Staff Francesca Tardio, the Deputy Mayor of Trieste Serena Tonel, and the President of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region Massimiliano Fedriga.

The opening lecture was given by Andrea Nardini, Full Professor of Plant Physiology at the Department of Life Sciences, on the topic ‘Some Lessons from Trees on the Risks of Climate Change’.