The University of Trieste continues to grow and strengthen its commitment to the development of the local area, focusing on research, innovation and collaboration with institutions and businesses. On the occasion of the inauguration of its 103rd Academic Year, Rector Donata Vianelli reaffirmed the University's ambition to address challenges with a proactive approach.

“Our University has chosen to respond decisively, turning the complexity of the present into a powerful driving force for change,” the Rector stated, highlighting the need to combine pragmatism, planning skills and a forward-looking vision in an international context marked by conflicts and at a challenging time for the university system, following the conclusion of the extraordinary funding provided by Italy's National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).

Addressing students from conflict-affected areas, Vianelli also wished to emphasise that: “We offer all of them our closeness, solidarity and tangible support. Our University must always remain a safe place of welcome, dialogue and open debate.”

Growing student numbers and increasing appeal

The figures confirm the University's dynamism: the 2025/2026 Academic Year ended with nearly 19,000 enrolled students, rising to over 20,800 when PhD candidates and postgraduate students are included. New student enrolments for the current Academic Year increased by 22.6% compared with the same period in the previous year, reflecting a strategic and far-reaching student guidance and recruitment campaign.

Today, the UniTS student community accounts for approximately 10% of Trieste's population.

This growth is underpinned by the quality of the University's academic programmes, its international outlook and strong employment prospects: employment rates among Master's degree graduates are close to 100%, with salaries above the national average. UniTS also ranks among Italy's top universities assessed by the Ministry in Band A, corresponding to the highest level of satisfaction. The increase in student numbers has made it essential to expand and renovate lecture halls, study rooms, student residences and communal spaces.

“If UniTS is growing, this is also thanks to an increasingly strong and attractive Region,” Vianelli pointed out, highlighting collaboration between the University, institutions and the local community as the key to meeting new needs and turning investment in university facilities into an opportunity for urban and social regeneration.

Research and business: turning knowledge into innovation

Research remains one of UniTS's main pillars, with investments in facilities dedicated to hydrogen, quantum technologies, artificial intelligence, medicine and climate change, alongside the humanities and social sciences, which form the foundations of our society.

As the Rector explained, laboratories and research facilities are designed as spaces open to collaboration with research institutions and the business community, with the aim of creating value and attracting investment, including through technology transfer.

In 2026, the University launched eight projects funded by the Italian Science Fund (FIS), worth approximately €8 million. These were complemented by ten PRIN projects worth over €2 million, as well as participation in European research programmes.

Links with the business community are also fostered through support for entrepreneurship and academic spin-offs, the Innovators Community Lab and student teams. Around 200 students are involved in the University's three teams – Astreo, Racing Team and Audace Sailing Team – working on sustainable innovation projects spanning engineering, nautical technology, motorsports and space technologies.

A strategic partnership with the local community

The University's growth is part of a shared strategy involving local institutions and the business community. The new 2027–2032 Strategic Plan, which will be presented in the coming months, is the result of a wide-ranging consultation process.

The aim is to build knowledge together with businesses, institutions and citizens, while further strengthening the role of the University's campuses in Gorizia, Portogruaro and Pordenone.

“Municipalities, Chambers of Commerce and the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, together with a dynamic and collaborative industrial, business and cultural environment, reaffirm every day the central role our University plays in the economic and social development of the entire community,” Vianelli stressed.

“We are also supported by important organisations such as Fondazione CRTrieste, Fondazione Beneficentia Stiftung and the Alberto and Kathleen Casali Charitable Foundations, whom I would like to thank for their generosity. I would also like to thank the many benefactors who support us every year because they believe in our community.”

In terms of social impact, the latest Research Quality Assessment (VQR) ranked UniTS 8th overall among Italian universities and 6th among state universities for its Third Mission activities.

International openness and social responsibility

Internationalisation remains a priority, pursued through the Transform4Europe European University Alliance, the development of joint academic programmes and the enhancement of services for international students. Against a backdrop of conflict and geopolitical tensions, the University also reaffirms its commitment to welcoming and supporting students from war-affected areas.

This vision places particular emphasis on networking and developing practical solutions to the challenges of growth, ensuring that high-quality education, research and innovation serve both future generations and the wider community.

During the ceremony, awards were presented to outstanding first-year students of the 2025–2026 Academic Year, alongside the PhD Innovation Awards, both funded by Fondazione CRTrieste, and awards funded by the University of Trieste Foundation (FUST).

The ceremony was attended by Massimiliano Fedriga, President of the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia; Alessandro Basso, Mayor of Pordenone; Luigi Toffolo, Mayor of Portogruaro; Rodolfo Ziberna, Mayor of Gorizia; and Roberto Dipiazza, Mayor of Trieste.

Other speakers included Emma Cerato, President of the Student Council, and Rossella Lucchini, Representative of the Technical and Administrative Staff.

The inaugural lecture was delivered by Simone Arnaldi, Full Professor of General Sociology at the Department of Political and Social Sciences, on the topic “Science and Diplomacy Between Cooperation and Competition”.

The Lectio Magistralis was delivered by Domenico Giardini, Full Professor of Seismology and Geodynamics at ETH Zurich, entitled “Earthquakes and Seismic Risk”.

Vocal and instrumental performances by the University of Trieste Choir and Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Riccardo Cossi.

Elvio Guagnini, literary critic, essayist and Professor Emeritus at the University of Trieste, has received the highest academic distinction awarded by the Universidad Nacional de Rosario in Argentina, in recognition of his outstanding academic and teaching career.

A leading scholar in the field of Italian literature, Guagnini has devoted his research to a wide range of subjects, from travel literature to eighteenth-century culture, as well as authors and themes in the literary tradition of the Julian region from the eighteenth to the twentieth century. His studies have contributed to deepening the dialogue between literature, history and culture.

The distinction conferred by the Argentine university celebrates a distinguished academic career and is also a source of prestige for the University of Trieste, where Guagnini studied and pursued his career as a lecturer and researcher.

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Trieste, the Italian Liver Foundation, and the University of Padua, and published in the international scientific journal Nutrients, investigated the effects of a high-fat, high-sugar diet on skeletal muscle during growth and maturation.

When we think about the consequences of unhealthy eating habits, we usually think of weight gain, obesity, diabetes, or fatty liver disease. However, what we eat can also affect another essential part of our body: our muscles.

Muscles do much more than simply enable us to move. They are essential for maintaining metabolic health, helping the body use and regulate energy, particularly blood sugar levels.

“This work is part of a collaboration in which we investigate the impact of a high-fat, high-sugar diet during growth from different perspectives and across different organs. In a 2024 study at the University of Trieste, we examined the morphofunctional properties of skeletal muscle,” explains Emiliana Giacomello, a University of Trieste researcher involved in the project. “We demonstrated that the diet has different effects on the muscles of male and female mice. In this new study, we analyzed gene expression in muscle tissue, and the data suggest that molecular responses to the diet differ between sexes and depend on the stage of maturation.”

What exactly did the researchers discover?

Using mice as a model, the researchers examined how a high-fat, high-sugar diet affected gene activity in muscle tissue at different stages of development.

The results revealed an interesting finding: muscles do not respond to unhealthy diets in the same way at every age, and males and females exhibit different response patterns.

In female mice, changes in gene activity were more pronounced after a relatively short period of exposure to the unhealthy diet. These changes were primarily associated with processes involved in muscle structure and tissue organization.

In male mice, the initial response was less pronounced, while more extensive changes emerged after prolonged exposure. These changes involved genes associated with energy metabolism, fat utilization, and muscle structure.

Importantly, the study also demonstrated that normal growth and maturation profoundly influence muscle biology. This means that the effects of diet must be interpreted in the context of the organism's stage of development.

Why is this important?

Childhood and adolescence are crucial periods during which organs and tissues are still developing.

The findings suggest that diets high in fat and sugar may influence biological processes in muscles from the earliest stages of life, although the effects may vary depending on biological sex and developmental stage.

These observations are particularly relevant because skeletal muscles are closely connected to the health of other organs, including the liver, and play an essential role in regulating blood glucose levels and overall metabolism.

Although the research was conducted in mice and further studies are needed to understand its implications for humans, the findings provide valuable insights into how diet may interact with the biological processes that accompany growth.

A message for families: prevention starts early

A healthy diet is not just about maintaining an appropriate body weight: it also helps support the development and proper functioning of the entire body.

Promoting a balanced diet and regular physical activity from an early age can help lay the foundations for good long-term metabolic health.

Photo: Seated, Emiliana Giacomello and Pablo Giraudi. Standing, Claudio Tiribelli, Luana Toniolo, Natalia Rosso, and Silvia Gazzin.

Six best practices and four special mentions: these are the awards presented as part of the 2026 CNEL “Impatto PA” Award, which recognises the most significant initiatives in public sector innovation and service improvement.

Among the winning projects is one from the University of Trieste: “A Widespread Educational Ecosystem: Promoting Sustainable Living and Learning.”

The award recognises the transformation of learning environments into tools for participation, well-being and regeneration, made possible through collaboration between universities, schools, institutions and local communities, with a focus on empowering young people and ensuring the sustainability of the model.

The award was accepted by Professor Gina Chianese, coordinator of the Master’s Degree Programme in Coordination and Management of Educational Services.

Now in its third edition, the award recognises the most significant initiatives in innovation and public service improvement, with particular attention to sustainability, stakeholder engagement, results achieved and the potential for solutions to be replicated in other contexts. A total of 86 initiatives were submitted for the 2026 edition.

A region of Antarctica that could have an enormous impact on the transformation of the natural world and human society is also one of the least understood and explored from a scientific perspective.

A new international scientific review published in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, co-authored by Fiorenza Torricella, a research fellow in the Department of Mathematics, Computer Science and Geosciences (MiGe) at the University of Trieste (UniTS), calls for a global campaign to study the Wilkes Subglacial Basin in East Antarctica. The region is one of the most important on Earth for predicting future sea-level rise, as it contains enough ice to raise global mean sea levels by three to four metres.

Led by Professor Matt King, Principal Investigator at the Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science and a faculty member at the University of Tasmania, the review brings together findings from geology, oceanography, climate science, satellite observations and ice-sheet modelling to assess what scientists currently know about this vast ice-covered basin.

The study concludes that major gaps in observational data still prevent scientists from predicting with sufficient confidence how quickly changes could occur or which climatic thresholds might trigger large-scale retreat of the ice sheet.

“The Wilkes Basin is probably the last great unexplored region of Antarctica,” Professor King said.

“No ship has ever come within 150 kilometres of the front of one of its major glaciers, Cook Glacier. We have no in situ mapping data of the seafloor and very limited information about the ocean conditions that could drive future ice melt.”

Despite these knowledge gaps, geological evidence indicates that the basin, much of which lies within the Australian Antarctic Territory, experienced significant retreat during previous periods of warmer temperatures. This raises questions about how it might respond to future climate change.

“The evidence from past warm periods is enough to sound the alarm: we need to understand this region much better. Yet it is difficult to find an active scientist who has actually been there,” Professor King said.

The review brings together contributions from researchers in 14 countries and calls for an urgent international effort to map the region, improve observations of the ocean and ice sheet, and reduce uncertainty about future impacts on the climate and sea levels.

“If we can better understand this region and more accurately predict how it will evolve, we will be better prepared for future sea-level rise, the impacts of climate change, and the consequences for coastal communities and vulnerable infrastructure in Australia, the Pacific and around the world,” Professor King said.

The study was led by the Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS), in collaboration with the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership (AAPP) and Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF). The research contributes to the implementation of the Australian Antarctic Science Decadal Strategy 2025–2035.

A total of 66 active researchers affiliated with UniTS are featured in the latest annual edition of the “World’s Top 2% Scientists” ranking, compiled by Stanford University in collaboration with the Elsevier publishing company. The ranking, which covers approximately 9 million scholars included in the Scopus database in 2025, identifies the most highly cited researchers worldwide across 22 scientific fields and 174 subfields, according to the standard Science-Metrix classification. In addition to these researchers, the ranking also includes contributions from emeritus and retired colleagues.

The following is a list of currently active UniTS researchers featured in the ranking for the single-year 2025 and/or career-long impact categories, grouped by department (researchers ranked among the top 100,000 worldwide are shown in bold):

DF: Angelo Bassi, Federico Becca, Fabio Benatti, Stefano Borgani, Pierre Thibault

DEAMS: Giuseppe Borruso

DSV: Alberta Bergamo, Marco del Giudice, Andrea Nardini, Monia Renzi, Lucia Muggia, Maria Chiara Passolunghi, Alessandro Tossi, Mauro Tretiach, Aurelia Tubaro

DIA: Fulvio Babich, Sylvio Barbon Junior, Chiara Bedon, Alois Bonifacio, Gabriele Bulian, Alberto Carini, Natalino Gattesco, Massimiliano Gei, Mario Grassi, Vanni Lughi, Alessandro Massi Pavan, Thomas Parisini, Gianni Pedrizzetti, Sabrina Pricl, Valter Sergo, Giorgio Sulligoi, Alberto Tessarolo

DISPES: Mattia Zulianello

DSCF: Enzo Alessio, Massimiliano Pio Di Cagno, Paolo Fornasiero, Silvia Marchesan, Michele Melchionna, Tiziano Montini, Federico Rosei

DSM: Rocco Barazzoni, Michele Bertolotto, Gianni Biolo, Paolo Boscolo Rizzo, Milena Cadenaro, Luca Cegolon, Marco Confalonieri, Adamo Pio D'Adamo, Mario D'Oria, Stefano di Bella, Giacomo Emmi, Paolo Gasparini, Mauro Giuffrè, Daniele Generali, Valerio Iebba, Francesca Larese Filon, Paolo Manganotti, Marco Merlo, Giuseppe Ricci, Barbara Ruaro, Gianfranco Sinagra, Giancarlo Tirelli, Serena Zacchigna, Iris Zalaudek

MiGe: Luca Bortolussi, Alberto D’Onofrio, Stefano Parolai, Alex Rodríguez

Among the emeritus professors, honorary professors, and researchers affiliated with UniTS who are included in the ranking are Giovanni Alessandrini, Massimo Bovenzi, Francesca Matteucci, Giuliano Panza, Fulvio Parmigiani, Maurizio Prato, and Gianni Sava.

“While it is important to remember that this is a purely bibliometric ranking,” comments Paolo Fornasiero, Vice-Rector for Research, “and that it should be regarded as a statistical tool rather than an absolute measure of scientific merit, I can only congratulate our colleagues in bibliometric research fields who feature among the world’s most influential scholars and who, through this recognition as well, help showcase the high quality of the research conducted at our University.”

The University of Trieste is among the 84 Italian centres of excellence selected for “Technological Humanism: Italian Excellence in Artificial Intelligence”, a volume produced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) and scientifically curated by AIRI – the Italian Association for Industrial Research.

The volume brings together experiences from universities, research centres, companies and startups, highlighting Italy’s role in developing Artificial Intelligence solutions for research and industry.

At UniTS, the contribution stems from the Naval Engineering Degree Programme, thanks to its collaboration with Fincantieri. The volume features a case study on the integration of computer vision systems and Artificial Intelligence algorithms for the inspection and assessment of welds in shipyards. The aim is to systematically monitor welded joints and collect structured information to support defect analysis, contributing to innovation in inspection processes.

Alongside this project, the volume also features SIPEOM, a spin-off of the University of Trieste established to develop advanced digital tools for shipping companies. Its solutions support fleet operating cost management and forecasting, financial planning and decision-making, helping to reduce the financial risks associated with changes in international environmental regulations.

The volume will be distributed internationally through the network of Italian Embassies, Consulates and Italian Cultural Institutes, with the aim of promoting Italian expertise and excellence in research, innovation and Artificial Intelligence abroad. The project will also be presented at the Guadalajara International Book Fair in Mexico, as part of the 2026 edition, in which Italy is the Guest of Honour.

In the photo: Luca Braidotti, Serena Bertagna and Vittorio Bucci, lecturers in the Naval Engineering degree programmes and co-founders of SIPEOM.

The rain did not stop the excitement of the Barcolana Dragon Boat University Challenge, organised by CUS Trieste in collaboration with the University of Trieste, CUS Venezia and the Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano, with the support of the Regional Council of Friuli Venezia Giulia.

The third edition of the challenge between dragon boats — boats featuring a dragon’s head and tail — saw all four participating CUS teams take to the water: Bari, Padua, Trieste and Udine. Each crew consisted of eight female rowers and eight male rowers, plus a drummer setting the pace of the strokes.

On the 180-metre race course, laid out between the beginning of the Molo Audace and the breakwater of the Porto Vecchio, the home team, CUS Trieste, took centre stage, dominating the round-robin qualifying stage with three wins from three races. In the final standings, CUS Bari finished second, securing a place in the final thanks to its head-to-head victory over CUS Padua, which finished third in the group. CUS Udine finished fourth without a win.

After a short break, the two finals were held, with the three podium places at stake. In the third-place playoff, CUS Padua defeated CUS Udine to take third place. In the final for first and second place, CUS Trieste left no chance for CUS Bari, taking control of the race from the very first strokes and crossing the finish line with arms raised in celebration ahead of the team from Puglia.

“Seeing so many young people from different universities rowing together is a tangible demonstration of the strength and beauty of university sport,” said Donata Vianelli, Rector of the University of Trieste. “Sport teaches us that no important achievement can be reached alone: it requires trust, listening, commitment and the ability to put our energy at the service of the team. These are values that are also deeply rooted in university life, and this event expresses them particularly effectively. The Barcolana Dragon Boat Challenge is an opportunity for competition, but above all for meeting, friendship and sharing, bringing students and different universities together through a common language.”

“Now in its third edition,” added Michele Pipan, President of CUS Trieste, “the Barcolana Dragon Boat University Challenge has once again proved to be a celebration that our entire university community feels particularly connected to. The participants have the opportunity to experience the uniqueness of the Barcolana from the front row and to bring onto the water the idea of a community without barriers.”

UniTS at the Barcolana Village

Until 11 October, UniTS will be present at the Barcolana Village in Piazza della Borsa with its stand, themed “From the Deep Sea to Space”, which will host a series of free talks covering topics ranging from the depths of the sea to the surface, from the Earth to the atmosphere and into orbit.

A new clue could help reconstruct the layout of one of the most important residential complexes in ancient Aquileia. This is what has emerged from the 2026 excavation campaign conducted under a ministerial archaeological concession by the Department of Humanities of the University of Trieste at the House of the Dancing Putti, one of the city’s largest and most luxurious Late Antique residences.

The investigations led to the identification of what appears to be the perimeter enclosure wall of the Ritter-Zàhony House, a structure discovered in the 1930s by Giovanni Brusin and subsequently reburied. At present, this remains a hypothesis that will need to be verified during future excavation campaigns, but it could shed light on the relationship between the earlier dwellings and the large residence built from the mid-4th century AD onwards.

Research by the University of Trieste, which began more than twenty years ago under a concession from the Ministry of Culture, through the Superintendence for Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for Friuli Venezia Giulia, in collaboration with Fondazione Aquileia, has gradually revealed a residence of exceptional dimensions. The evidence currently available makes it possible to estimate its extent at approximately 10,000 square metres.

The monumental scale of the House and the richness of its decorative features – from mosaics and wall paintings to the extensive use of marble and the discovery of a precious dichroic glass diatretum, decorated using a highly refined technique reproducing a “net” pattern – point to an exceptionally high-status patron.

One of the main objectives of the 2024–2026 campaigns has been to reconstruct the organisation of the insula before and after the construction of the House of the Dancing Putti and to identify its various building phases.

This research framework also includes an important recent rediscovery, funded by Fondazione Aquileia under the scientific direction of the Superintendence for Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for Friuli Venezia Giulia. At the end of 2025, the “Floral Carpet” mosaic was uncovered again in the area adjacent to the Cassis estate archaeological site and the House of the Dancing Putti. Its dating to the 4th century AD appears to support the hypothesis of a possible connection with the same patron who commissioned the House.

This year’s excavation campaign by the University of Trieste involved 15 students, including two from the University of Rijeka, with which UniTS has maintained a long-standing collaboration. The excavation site provides an important training opportunity for students, postgraduate students and PhD candidates, who are able to engage directly with the methods and tools of archaeological research.

“It was a demanding experience, but ultimately fully rewarding, thanks to the curiosity that drove every strike of the pickaxe and the excitement of standing before a reality that had remained hidden for such a long time,” comments Irene Padova, a Classics student at UniTS who took part in the excavation campaign.

Eighteen years after the first study, the follow-up phase of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Genetic Park project is getting underway. The initiative will involve the communities of Erto e Casso, Sauris, San Martino del Carso, Resia, Illegio and Clauzetto. Activities will begin in Sauris on October 12, followed by Illegio in November, San Martino del Carso in January, and subsequently the other municipalities involved.

The project was established to investigate the genetic and environmental factors underlying diseases and complex traits. In its first edition, it involved more than 2,200 people across the six areas. Thanks to the data collected, researchers have been able to carry out numerous studies over the years, resulting in the publication of more than 60 scientific papers in prestigious journals and the establishment of collaborations with major international consortia.

The follow-up further strengthens the collaboration between IRCCS Burlo Garofolo and the University of Trieste, with the valuable support of the Casali Foundations and BeneficentiaStiftung. The initiative also involves numerous young medical residents and researchers, who will contribute to research activities, data collection and engagement with local communities.

The meetings will provide an important opportunity to share the results achieved, collect new information and maintain an ongoing dialogue with local populations. The direct involvement of citizens will make it possible to further explore aspects related to the history, culture and genetic characteristics of residents in each area. The follow-up will also allow researchers to update the data collected, assess the project's evolution and strengthen collaboration among researchers, local authorities and residents.

“Returning to the communities involved after so many years is an essential step in ensuring continuity for the project and giving back to local communities the value of the information collected,” the project promoters emphasize. “Citizen participation remains at the heart of this initiative.”

The full schedule of events and information on how to participate will be announced through the official channels of the local authorities involved.