The University of Trieste is hosting the second edition of the international Summer School "Sustainability and Digitalization in the Blue Economy", organized by the University as part of the iNEST – Interconnected Nord-Est Innovation Ecosystem (funded by the PNRR – NextGenerationEU) and Interreg Italy–Croatia MareSkill projects.

The initiative involves the Departments of Economics, Business, Mathematics and Statistics “Bruno de Finetti” (DEAMS), Engineering and Architecture (DIA), and Mathematics, Computer Science and Geosciences (MIGe), with the support of OGS – National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics, and the Port Network Authority of the Eastern Adriatic Sea.

Entirely held in English, the Summer School welcomes 28 participants, including master’s and doctoral students, from Iran, Croatia, Serbia, Pakistan, Ghana, Nepal, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Morocco, Moldova, and Italy. The initiative offers multidisciplinary training on sustainability and digitalization in the Blue Economy, with a focus on port systems, shipbuilding, maritime transport, and marine resource management.

The program includes lectures, workshops, group activities, and technical visits to the Port of Trieste, the Groupe Beneteau Italia shipyard, the Fincantieri SpA shipyard in Monfalcone, the San Giovanni di Duino water system, and the wastewater treatment plant managed by AcegasApsAmga.

These visits give participants the opportunity to explore technologies, processes, and sustainable strategies adopted by leading industrial and infrastructure centers in the Blue Economy.

Lectures are delivered by professors and experts from the University of Trieste and OGS on topics such as digital innovation in ship design, port intermodality, decarbonization in maritime transport, marine Digital Twins, and artificial intelligence applied to the Blue Economy. The week will conclude with a project workshop, where participants will present innovative ideas inspired by the topics addressed.

This initiative is a tangible example of international cooperation, networking, multidisciplinarity, and the connection between academia, industry, and institutions, which are at the core of the iNEST project.

The INEST Summer School is funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.5 – Creation and strengthening of “Innovation Ecosystems for Sustainability,” project iNEST – Interconnected Nord-Est Innovation Ecosystem, Cross-Cutting Activity CC4 “Education & Lifelong Learning” – CUP J43C22000320006 – Funded by the European Union, NextGenerationEU.