This year again, UniTS is taking part in the AIRCampus project, dedicated to university students with the aim of raising awareness about AIRC (Italian association for research on cancer) and promoting understanding of cancer as a public health issue.

In the 2025/26 academic year, the University will host a series of lectures on topics related to the Foundation’s mission, which are also of interest to students from a variety of degree programmes.

The lectures are divided between the two semesters and will take place within degree courses with at least 40 students. Each session lasts about two hours and features both an AIRC expert (researchers, managers, nonprofit professionals, ambassadors) and a UniTS lecturer.

A unique opportunity for students to explore topics connected to their courses of study, through real-world examples and a multidisciplinary approach offered by professionals in the field.

Lecture schedule for this semester

14th October, 16:00, Room 2_A, Building D, Piazzale Europa
I’ll be brief: three plants, three molecules, three stories
Lecture by Ruggero Rollini, science communicator
Hosted by Fabio Carniel Candotto, lecturer in General Botany, bachelor’s degree in Science and Technology for the Environment and Nature

17th October, 14:30 in person; 21st November, 14:30 (tbc) online; 12th December, 14:30 (tbc) in person, Aula Magna, Via Monfort 3
Health education in primary schools: a UDA workshop with the AIRC in Schools project
Workshop by Alessandra Frittelli, Project Manager, AIRC in Schools
Hosted by Barbara Bocchi, lecturer in Teaching, bachelor’s degree in Education

29th October, 12:00, Room 1B, Building H3, Central Campus
The organisation of AIRC and its social impact
Lecture by Marco Rogledi, Human Resources Manager, AIRC
Hosted by Francesco Venier, lecturer in Business Organisation, bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management

13th November, 11:00, Aula Grande, Building C6, Via Valerio 8/3
New drugs in a click: strategies to accelerate molecular synthesis
Lecture by Tracey Pirali, AIRC researcher at the University of Eastern Piedmont
Hosted by Tatiana Da Ros, Stephanie Federico and Federico Berti, lecturers in Pharmaceutical Chemistry I and II, Bio-organic Chemistry, degree courses in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology (CTF) and Chemistry

13th November, 15:00, room tbd
Title to be defined
Lecture by Claudia Borreani, Head of the Clinical Psychology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milan
Hosted by Barbara Penolazzi, lecturer in Basic Clinical Skills/Psychology module, bachelor’s degree in Psychology

25th November, 9:00, room tbd
Designing a health communication campaign
Lecture by Sabrina Bonomo, Senior Account, External Communication, AIRC
Hosted by Patrizia De Luca and Giovanna Pegan, lecturers in Marketing and in Communication and Branding, degree courses in Business Administration and Management, and in Marketing and Management

25th November, 16:00, Aula Venezian, Building A, Piazzale Europa
The right to be forgotten: the oncological right to be forgotten becomes law in Italy
Lecture with Giordano Beretta, oncologist, ASL Pescara and Fondazione AIOM
Hosted by Maurizio Barberis, lecturer in Philosophy of Law, integrated master’s degree in Law

11th December, 9:30, room tbd
Title to be defined
Lecture by Francesco Iorio, AIRC researcher at the Human Technopole Foundation, Milan
 Hosted by Giulio Caravagna, lecturer in Introduction to Programming and Laboratory, bachelor’s degree in Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics

15th December, 9:00, room tbd
New strategies in the fight against cancer
 Lecture by Alessandra Raimondi, AIRC researcher at the Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milan
 Hosted by Vanessa Nicolin, lecturer in Human Anatomy, degree courses in Medicine and Surgery and Dentistry

18th December, time and room tbd
DNA damage in cancer and ageing
Lecture by Fabrizio D’Adda di Fagagna, AIRC researcher at IFOM – the AIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology ETS, Milan
Hosted by Stefan Schoeftner, lecturer in Non-coding RNA Biology, degree course in Functional Genomics

All AIRCampus lectures organised in Italian universities and the updated calendar are available at the following link.

The 14th edition of Trieste Next opened today, Friday 26th September, dedicated to the theme ‘Life Within. Dialogues between Science and Technology.’ The University of Trieste is a central player in the festival, with a programme designed for the general public: from today until Sunday 28th September, UniTS will organise 18 events (six today, nine on Saturday, and three on Sunday), featuring more than fifty speakers, alongside the UniTS stand in Piazza Unità with ten interactive spaces and the ‘UniDiversitas’ information point.

Two international headline events are on the programme: David Quammen this evening at Teatro Verdi, and Nobel Laureate Brian K. Kobilka tomorrow evening on the same stage.

In the opening panel, Rector Donata Vianelli, taking part in her first Trieste Next as head of UniTS, reaffirmed the importance of a systemic and open approach:
 ‘Innovation does not come from individuals alone; it comes from the system – universities, institutions and businesses working together in open networks, with multidisciplinarity and both national and international openness. Only in this way does research stop being self-referential and translate into real solutions for the territory and for society.’

The first day’s programme includes events on cities in transition and inclusive tourism, followed by sessions on nuclear fusion and safety in research. In the evening, the stage will host the performance ‘Storie dentro’ and the encounter with David Quammen at Teatro Verdi.

On Saturday 27th September, the schedule covers generative artificial intelligence and algorithmic transparency, energy between myths and realities, dialogue between African traditional medicine and research, advanced microscopy (All-Micro), the ‘environmental plate’ (an interdisciplinary round table that, starting from the leftovers of a dinner, brings together statistics, economics, psychology, viticulture and Slow Food to balance taste, sustainability and health), glaciers and life between science and mountaineering, through to space robotics, culminating in the special evening event with Brian K. Kobilka at Teatro Verdi.

Sunday 28th September will close the programme with sessions on community justice, neuroscience and music, and ‘care-based tourism.’

At its stand in Piazza Unità, UniTS presents a showcase reflecting the breadth of its expertise: from journeys into space with ASTREO to quantum science; from health – with a focus on chronic pain and digital rehabilitation – to restorative justice; from comparative law to marine sciences and geosciences; from ‘Rogue AI’ (distinguishing safe from deceptive generative AI) to the chemistry of future materials; and from merit and community with Collegio Fonda to the UniDiversitas information point.

In this light, Trieste Next is the ideal environment for the University of Trieste to put this approach into practice:
 ‘Trieste Next is our ideal training ground: three days of dialogue and debate to analyse problems from different perspectives and build shared solutions. A research festival that is also a multicultural and multidisciplinary crossroads, where each participant contributes an essential part to improving people’s lives and our future,’ concluded Rector Vianelli.

All UniTS events

On 21st September, the 32nd World Alzheimer’s Day will be observed. In Italy, more than 600,000 people live with the disease, a number that ISTAT estimates will exceed two million by 2030.

The University of Trieste is taking part in the 2025 campaign promoted by Alzheimer’s Disease International: ‘Ask About Dementia. Ask About Alzheimer’s.’ On Sunday 21st September 2025, the façade of Building A will be illuminated in purple, the colour of the forget-me-not, the flower symbol of the disease.

‘In the field of applied clinical research,’ recalls Paolo Manganotti, professor of Neurology at the University of Trieste and Director of the Neurology Clinic at the local healthcare provider ASUGI, ‘the frontier is represented by the forthcoming availability of monoclonal antibodies, which appear to slow the progression of the disease, and by new forms of brain neuromodulation. These minimally invasive approaches modify the activity of neurons and neural circuits with the aim of correcting abnormal signals and treating neurological and psychiatric disorders.’

To mark the occasion, the Italian Alzheimer’s Federation has presented the World Alzheimer Report 2025, drafted by Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI). The document highlights rehabilitation as an effective and sustainable intervention, in line with new guidelines from the Italian National Institute of Health, and calls attention to two priorities: the provision of accessible telerehabilitation services throughout the country and the training of rehabilitation therapists, both of which are essential to improving the quality of life of people with dementia and their caregivers.

World Alzheimer’s Day offers an opportunity for the academic community to express solidarity and closeness to people with dementia, to their families and to

their caregivers, whose contribution remains invaluable and irreplaceable in ensuring continuity of care.

Across its institutional channels, UniTS will use the hashtags #AskAboutDementia and #AskAboutAlzheimers to connect with the international campaign and guide the public towards reliable information.

‘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.

Starting from 1st September 2025, the former Military Hospital complex in Via Fabio Severo has become a new student residence, stemming from an agreement between the University of Trieste and ARDiS, the Regional agency for the right to education.

The facility is state-owned and has been granted to UniTS for indefinite use. It will be managed by Ardis for five years, extendable upon renewal. The initiative is the result of a collaboration between the University of Trieste and the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, which aims to expand the range of student accommodation available in response to the growing demand for housing, made more urgent by the increase in University enrolments in recent years. It also aims to make the regional university system more attractive to prospective students.

The complex will accommodate up to 239 students in 163 rooms of various types: 24 single rooms measuring 16 square metres; 63 single rooms measuring 18 square metres; 64 double rooms; and 12 double rooms adapted to accommodate students with disabilities. A portion of the places, no less than 63, will be reserved for students of the Collegio di merito ‘Luciano Fonda’, who will be able to use the facilities and equipment dedicated to educational, cultural and recreational activities.

The University will retain access to the former Commander’s House, including the Chapel Room on the third floor (excluding the concierge area, which will be managed by Ardis). This area will house the Innovators Community Lab, the training programme that the University of Trieste dedicates to innovation and entrepreneurship, administrative offices and job placement and guidance activities.

Accommodation will be allocated through public calls for applications and priority will be given to capable and deserving students who have limited financial means and who meet the requirements set out in the regional guidelines.

‘For the University of Trieste,’ says Rector Donata Vianelli, ‘the redevelopment of the former Military Hospital as a student residence is of key importance in terms of policies for the right to education and services for students. In a period of increasing housing pressure, the availability of student accommodation is essential to ensure equal access to university education and to further enhance the appeal of our University.’

The DIGILAFS project (Digitisation of the Antonio Fonda Savio Legacy), promoted by the University of Trieste’s Library and Museum Services, seeks to enhance and preserve the documentary section of the Antonio Fonda Savio Legacy, held within the Writers and Regional Culture Archive.

DIGILAFS is one of the projects funded by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region as part of the regional call for proposals for “Interventions aimed at promoting the use of ICT solutions and augmented reality for the benefit of cultural operators” under the PR FESR 2021-2027 funds.

The approved €63,440 of funding will cover all expenses for the duration of the project, which is set to last 24 months. Project activities began on 1 July and will include the purchase of a professional planetary scanner for the purpose of document digitisation.

The documentary section of the Antonio Fonda Savio Legacy consists of personal documents and heterogeneous materials of particular importance, including a collection of letters by Pietro Nobile (414 items), historiographical documents relating to the world wars, family documents, records, postcards, photographs and 313 historic documents (parchments, papal bulls, proclamations).

The collection’s variety and historical interest coupled with the extremely fragile condition of most of the paper documents mean that its digitisation and online promotion are essential if this particular piece of cultural heritage is to be valorised and made accessible to potential interested parties.

The long-term objective of the project is to complete the digitisation of the cultural heritage preserved in the Archive of Writers and Regional Culture and, in the short term, to scan at least 40% of the documentary section of the Fonda Savio Legacy, in order to make it accessible to the public via the regional portal and the University Museum Services portal.

The project Compassionate Leadership – CompAct has been officially launched. Promoted and funded by the Veneto Region, it is part of a strategic intervention plan aimed at addressing the increasingly alarming rise in unplanned resignations. The project seeks to adapt the compassionate leadership model to the Italian healthcare context, proposing a leadership style capable of recognizing workplace distress, understanding its causes, and intervening to foster a more sustainable work organization — one that is centered on the idea of “caring for those who care.”

The University of Trieste is a key scientific partner in the adaptation and validation phase of the international model to the Italian context, alongside the Universities of Milan, Padua, and Verona. Representing UniTS are Prof. Sara Cervai (Work and Organizational Psychology) and Prof. Gabriele Blasutig (Organizational Sociology), both from the Department of Political and Social Sciences.

The project addresses the challenges posed by the so-called “Great Resignation” and the growing unease among healthcare workers, by promoting an approach based on mutual care, relational responsibility, and organizational wellbeing.

Developed with the scientific contributions of Michael West (King’s Fund UK), compassionate leadership is a model already successfully tested in several European countries, particularly in the United Kingdom. It has proven effective in improving workplace climate, reducing burnout, and increasing satisfaction among both healthcare professionals and patients — especially in emotionally demanding environments like healthcare settings.

“At the international level, results are promising,” said Prof. Sara Cervai. “We need to understand how this model can work in the Italian context, within a public healthcare system where people are experiencing alarming levels of distress. We are aware of the impact that leadership roles can have on staff wellbeing, and we aim to support both leaders and collaborators in regaining motivation and wellbeing in their professional practice, through a scientific approach.”

CompAct is a two-year action-research project, with field trials conducted in two Venetian Local Health Units (ULSS 3 Serenissima and ULSS 4 Veneto Orientale), involving both top and middle management in three operational units (internal medicine, emergency services, and primary care).

Within this framework, the University of Trieste is responsible for the cultural adaptation of the model, through translation, reworking, and comparison with existing best practices, in close dialogue with the professionals involved. The following stages will include implementation within healthcare organizations, scientific validation, and dissemination of results.
“There are many cultural and linguistic challenges ahead,” Cervai explained, “starting with the very meaning of the word compassionate, which in Italian must be understood as empathy and support, not as pity or sentimentality.”

The other academic partners will be in charge of quantitative validation (Prof. Paolo Gubitta, University of Padua), qualitative validation (Prof. Elisa Ambrosi, University of Verona), and dissemination (Prof. Federico Lega, University of Milan). The Veneto Region will oversee both the coordination and the implementation within the participating healthcare organizations.

The project’s kick-off meeting was held in Venice, at the Scuola Grande di San Marco Evangelista, in the presence of the Regional Minister of Health and the General Director for Health of the Veneto Region, the General Directors of the two participating ULSS units, and university representatives.

This initiative is part of the strategic actions outlined in Resolution No. 960/2024 of the Veneto Region to tackle the retention crisis in the public healthcare sector and stands as a virtuous example of collaboration between institutions, academia, and the healthcare system.

On 28th July, the World Health Organization (WHO) marks World Hepatitis Day with the aim of raising public awareness about viral infections affecting the liver and promoting effective strategies for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

On this occasion, Professor Lory Crocè, Professor of Gastroenterology at the University of Trieste and Heaf of the Department of Liver Diseases at the local healthcare provider (ASUGI), is promoting a free screening day open to the public.

This initiative offers everyone the opportunity to access simple but essential tests to assess liver health and detect early signs of viral hepatitis infection. Available screenings include a rapid capillary test for hepatitis C, targeted at individuals excluded from regional screening (born before 1969 or after 1989), as well as blood sampling for serological screening offered to people within the specified age group. Thanks to collaboration with Echosens, participants will also have access to FibroScan examinations, a non-invasive test measuring liver stiffness to detect signs of fibrosis.

Chronic viral hepatitis remains a significant public health threat, partly because it often remains asymptomatic for years until severe complications such as cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma develop. The spread of hepatitis C, in particular, was facilitated for decades by the lack of effective therapies and low awareness of the risks. Today, however, thanks to direct-acting antiviral drugs, over 98% of patients can be cured with short, well-tolerated, and easy-to-administer treatments. Early identification of infection is therefore crucial to halting its spread and reducing disease progression and mortality.

Regarding hepatitis B, research has also yielded important results: the compulsory vaccination introduced in Italy in 1992 has significantly reduced new cases, while nucleos(t)ide analogue therapies effectively suppress viral replication, improving the quality and life expectancy of people with chronic liver disease.

The screening event organised by the Complex Unit of Liver Diseases is made possible thanks to the collaboration and patronage of the University of Trieste, ASUGI, the Trieste Physiologists’ Association, the Trieste Nursing Professionals’ Association, the main Italian scientific societies in hepatology and gastroenterology – ASIF, FISMAD, and SIGE – as well as LILT. Patient associations including EpaC and AMAF, along with FIF health workers providing health education and information, also play a key role during the day.

Those interested can book a place by calling +39 040 3992953 on Tuesdays and Fridays from 11:00 to 12:00. Places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Italian Cultural Institute in Cairo hosted a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the bilateral agreement between Italy and Egypt on scientific and technological cooperation, on the occasion of Italian Research Day in the World (giornata della ricerca italiana nel mondo).

The University of Trieste was represented by Vice-Rector Valter Sergo, who spoke during the session dedicated to opportunities for collaboration between universities and industry.

In his speech, Sergo presented Trieste as ‘a city with one of the highest densities of researchers in relation to its population’, emphasising the role of the University as the central hub of an integrated scientific system, open to international engagement and strongly oriented towards innovation.

It is not only an ideal learning environment for students and researchers, but also an attractive environment for high-tech companies interested in investing in research and development.

The event was promoted by the Italian Embassy in Cairo in collaboration with the Science, Technology and Innovation Funding Authority (STDF), the department of the Egyptian Ministry of Research responsible for implementing the three-year executive programme provided for in the agreement.

In addition to presenting the projects in progress in the period 2024–2026, the celebration fostered discussion on strategic issues between universities and companies from both countries: from artificial intelligence to space technologies, and from cultural heritage to medicine, the global challenges of climate and the water-energy-food nexus.

The University of Trieste's participation is part of the broader framework of the University's international relations, which for years has promoted scientific and academic cooperation with partners in the Mediterranean, Africa and the Middle East.

The virtual exhibition Italy in Antarctica is now online, created to mark the 46th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM XLVI) and the 26th Meeting of the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP XXVI), hosted in Milan for the 2025 edition.

The exhibition explores Italy’s scientific presence in Antarctica, highlighting operational infrastructure, the governance model of the National Antarctic Research Programme (PNRA), and Italy’s strategic role in international cooperation on the continent.

Among the contributors to the project is the National Museum of Antarctica, which has exhibition sites at the Universities of Trieste, Genoa and Siena. The Museum serves as a national hub for the promotion and dissemination of scientific knowledge about Antarctica.

The initiative provides a valuable opportunity to share the findings of research conducted in the White Continent, with a particular focus on:

• environmental protection and management of ASPAs (Antarctic Specially Protected Areas)
• studies on the Marine Protected Area in the Ross Sea
• research on ecosystems and climate change
• pollutant monitoring
• results from Antarctic ice core drilling

The exhibition is accessible via direct link or by scanning the attached QR code.