What lies behind the enigmatic gaze of the Mona Lisa? What if those eyes, that face, that posture concealed clinical clues that have escaped art historians for centuries? Those slightly averted eyes, the peculiar neck, that unusual posture that have always been interpreted as aesthetic choices, today find a possible explanation thanks to genomic technologies. ‘Art and genetics: diversity as individuality’, a UniTS project funded by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, presents a free exhibition challenging traditional categories of research dissemination from 3rd to 10th February in six cities in the FVG region.

Icono-diagnostics is at the heart of this project; a discipline that applies medical knowledge to the study of works of art to recognise clinical signs and symptoms in the subjects depicted. It is an approach that affords the opportunity to see masterpieces with fresh eyes. Details that were once considered oddities or aesthetic peculiarities now find possible scientific explanation at the molecular level.

Trieste’s Politeama Rossetti is to become the beating heart of the event, which boasts a rich programme over two days. On Wednesday 4th February, visitors to the Sala Bartoli will mix science and theatre. The programme starts at 16:30 with ‘Interpreting art through genetics: from paintings to the blueprint for life’, a scientific laboratory curated by prof. Giorgia Girotto, lecturer at UniTS Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, during which geneticists, researchers and a special invited guest create an interactive experience for the public. Quizzes, team challenges and observation games make visitors the real researchers as they are asked to identify clues that tell stories of rare diseases and genetic diversity in works of art. At 19:00, participants can watch ‘Imperfect Icons’, a theatrical production written and performed by Diana Höbel that explores a fascinating parallelism between the professions of acting and genetics. Just as the actor observes others to capture their essence, so the geneticist knows how to ‘look’ at the patient to identify anomalies and arrive at a diagnosis. With irony and lightness, Höbel gives a voice to the painted subjects and has them reflect on their own image, revealing how even the most famous subjects hide a deep and surprising humanity.

On Friday 6th February at 16:30, Room 1954 will host ’The perfect imperfection: when illness becomes art’, an artistic laboratory with Giacomo Andrea Faroldi and Francesca Boldrin, written and directed by Paolo Quazzolo with historical and artistic consultation from Massimo Degrassi. Using narrative theatre, two actors will give accounts of famous paintings with the help of images, revealing the relationships between the subjects depicted and hypothesised pathologies, moving outside traditional framings of the paintings to consider the artworks through both art history and medicine. The laboratory’s interactive elements encourage participation and offer the public the opportunity to rediscover well-known artworks from an unprecedented perspective.

The exhibition will travel across the entire region, offering either or both the artistic laboratory and scientific laboratory in different locations: on 3rd February at 16:30 at the Ugo Carà Museum in Muggia (artistic laboratory); on 7th February at 16:30 at the Hall of Hotel Ai Dogi in Palmanova (artistic laboratory); on 8th February at the Teatro San Giorgio in Udine both the scientific laboratory at 16:30 and the theatrical performance ‘Icone imperfette’ at 19:00; on 9th February at Palazzo Coronini Cronberg in Gorizia both the artistic laboratory at 15:00 and scientific laboratory at 17:00; on 10th February at 16:30 at the San Francesco Convent in Pordenone (artistic laboratory).

The project was conceived by UniTS Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences under the scientific lead of Giorgia Girotto, who is also Head of the Genomics and Bioinformatics Laboratory at the Trieste’s Burlo Garofolo Research Hospital. The laboratories all stem from the belief that art and genetics share the same core concept: the study of variation and how unique forms are born from it. Special attention is paid to rare genetic diseases, which through theatre and art emerge from abstraction to become recognisable and deeply human stories. Empathy is the beating heart of the project, instructing participants to go beyond diagnosis to meet the person in their entirety.

The initiative is carried out in partnership with Burlo Garofolo Research Hospital, Stazione Rogers, Immaginario Scientifico Science Museum and Il Rossetti – Friuli Venezia Giulia’s Theatre in collaboration with the Municipalities of Muggia and Udine.

 Programme   

Free admission. Booking required for all events. To book, visit the Eventbrite platform.

You can also book using the QR codes printed in the programme. 

Information: arte.genetica@units.it 

Strengthening the competitiveness of SMEs by developing strategic skills, providing access to qualified services and building cross-border collaborations along the blue-economy value chain: these are the goals of LEAP TO BLUE – Unleash the potential for joint transition in the blue economy, a project under the Interreg Italy–Croatia 2021–2027 Programme presented today at the University of Trieste, which is a partner in the initiative through its Department of Economic, Business, Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (DEAMS).

The University of Trieste takes part in the project within a partnership led by the University of Zadar (Lead partner) and also involving Unioncamere del Veneto, ARTI Puglia – Regional Agency for Technology, Technology Transfer and Innovation, the University of Zagreb – FER and the Croatian Chamber of Economy.

LEAP TO BLUE is an OSI – Operation of Strategic Importance, i.e., a strategically relevant cross-border cooperation action selected within the Interreg Italy–Croatia 2021–2027 Programme to address shared needs of Adriatic territories with joint, high-impact solutions. Running for 36 months until June 2028 and with a total budget of about €6.1 million, the project supports the digital and green twin transition of blue-economy companies through an integrated model combining capacity building – training and strengthening skills and organisational capabilities – and matchmaking and networking, i.e., connecting demand and supply and building collaboration networks between companies and innovation ecosystem actors.

“The University of Trieste,” explains Rubina Romanello, Associate Professor of Business Economics and Management and scientific lead for the University, “focuses in particular on upskilling – strengthening existing skills – and reskilling – developing new skills – to support human capital development and foster innovation, sustainability and growth.”

“As lead partner, the University of Zadar will be the scientific heart of the project,” says Andrea Vitlov from the University of Zadar, Communication Manager of LEAP TO BLUE. “Our goal is to turn research results into practical solutions that help the blue economy grow while keeping our environment healthy. We hope the project will become a blueprint for the future, showing that economic success and environmental sustainability can go hand in hand.”

As an OSI, LEAP TO BLUE is among the Programme’s more structured and financially significant projects, delivered by highly qualified partnerships and oriented towards tangible results, such as piloting new services and solutions and developing joint pathways in strategic sectors for the Adriatic area.

The six project partners will define a service catalogue for companies. Access will be regulated through a voucher scheme with two calls scheduled for autumn 2026 and summer 2027. The services offered to SMEs will focus on internationalisation, advanced training (on digital topics and ESG) and skills upgrading (upskilling) as well as innovation and technology transfer, with the aim of supporting companies through ongoing transitions and strengthening their competitiveness.

“LEAP TO BLUE supports blue-economy SMEs by providing, through a combination of vouchers and dedicated initiatives, fast access to specialised expertise, skills and cross-border partnerships that drive innovation and market growth,” states Jelena Grancarić Milin, Head of the Technology Transfer Department at the University of Zadar.

“The project,” Romanello continues, “has nearly €3 million available to fund 162 vouchers, with an average service value of €18,000 per company. The University of Trieste will be able to allocate more than €400,000 to support training and skills development pathways with a digital and environmental focus.”

Following the official presentation to the media, the University of Trieste will host in the afternoon the regional workshop “LEAP TO BLUE: Opportunities and Services for SMEs in the Blue Economy” to explore the project’s tools, services and opportunities and contribute to shaping an offer that genuinely matches companies’ needs.

The event is aimed at the project’s target audience: small and medium-sized enterprises operating in blue-economy sectors and actors in education, research and innovation support. “The workshop,” clarifies Guido Bortoluzzi, Vice Rector for relations with businesses and the territory at the University of Trieste, “is designed to bring SMEs and local stakeholders together and collect active feedback to define a service catalogue that meets companies’ needs, both in terms of content and access procedures.”

The event also includes an in-depth session on the main challenges for SMEs, with contributions – among others – from Francesco Venier, professor at the University of Trieste and MIB and an expert in organisational innovation; Carlo Poloni, professor at the University of Trieste and President of ESTECO; Luca Braidotti, professor at the University of Trieste and CEO of Sipeom Srl; and Bostjan Lozer, strategic advisor on business models.

‘Next steps for a sustainable future’ (Orientarsi a cambiare in mondo, per un futuro sostenibile) has kicked off for 2026. The NRRP programme, delivered by the Prospective Student Support and School Liaison Unit at the University of Trieste, offers free courses on environmental, economic and social sustainability.

2,409 third-year students from 16 regional high schools will take part in the first module of the outreach project, which will run across a number of days until 23rd January. In this first module, participants watch a performance of Il Valzer della bugia (The Waltz of Lies), put on by Teatro Bandito. The piece is a monologue by and with Francesca Zoccarato, an actress and UniTS alumna, and was inspired by the book La bugia che salvò il mondo (The lie that saved the world) by Nicoletta Bortolotti.

The performance is staged in the Old Port’s Sala Luttazzi and tells the story of Giovanni Borromeo, head of the Fatebenefratelli Hospital in Rome, who in 1938 invented an inexistent disease, K's disease, to save many Jews from deportation.

A strong theme that invites a deep reflection on the theme of ‘choice’.

At the end of the performance, two psychologists (Alan Mattiassi e Anna Di Francia) guide the students to discover themselves, their emotions and the value of error in the process of choice.

‘The first of the 4 modules clears the way for discussing outreach themes. We do not talk about degree courses, but we want to equip students with a vocabulary and grammar for choice, imagining not only that in their future there may be a university course, but also thinking about all those easy or difficult choices that each of us makes every day. In the other NRRP modules we will talk about environmental, social and economic sustainability, but with this first module we dive into the world of theatre and games,’ explains Elisabetta Madriz, the Rector's Delegate for Prospective Student Policies. ‘In the first part of the module, we watch Francesca Zoccarato’s monologue. Immediately after, the actress dialogues with the students on the topics that came up in the monologue, thus starting to build up a lexicon around choice, a lexicon that includes fatigue, fear, pause, fellow travellers, hopes, dreams, targets, goals, resilience, loneliness, presence. In the second part, there is space for play. With two psychologists, everyone participates in a game that helps with choice exercises. The game is ultimately emblematic of life, of deciding which side to stand on and why, of making conscious choices and being responsible for ourselves and for the large and small communities which we are part of.’

The second and third modules will start in February and will take place in UniTS classrooms. They will consist of lectures held by university professors on environmental, economic and social sustainability.

The NRRP programme will conclude with a final meeting in the participating schools. In this meeting, university outreach will be introduced alongside testimonies from tutor students.  

Luca Bertoni, University of Trieste’s Energy Manager, has won the special mention of FIRE Award from the Italian Federation for the Rational Use of Energy (Federazione Italiana per l’uso Razionale dell’Energia - FIRE).

The award is the result of more than ten years of work at the University, which chose to join the CONSIP SIE2 Convention 13 years ago and, thanks to careful management, has led to a reduction of approximately 40% in UniTS's thermal and electrical consumption.

This result was achieved thanks to the valuable work of the university's technical units.

The digital sector of Friuli Venezia Giulia continues to expand and change skin. The Report FVG Digitale 2025 – The international dimension of digital enterprises in Friuli Venezia Giulia, presented by DITEDI – Digital Technologies Industrial District with the contribution of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Autonomous Region and in collaboration with scientific partners University of Trieste, University of Udine and Area Science Park, photographs it.

The report – now in its fifth edition – proposes the annual analysis on the state of the art and prospects of regional ICT companies, dedicating the 2025 deep dive to a strategic theme: the international dimension of the sector, between growth opportunities and structural knots still to be untied.

In 2025, the ICT companies active in Friuli Venezia Giulia are 2,281 and the total settlements reach 3,127, with a growth of +8% compared to 2024. Software and services remain the heart of the ecosystem (over 95% of the sector), while the hardware component – although on more contained absolute values – is the one that records the most marked dynamic in terms of numbers.

On the territorial level, Udine is confirmed as the main regional digital hub, followed by Pordenone, which maintains a relevant profile also thanks to the link with advanced manufacturing and automation. Trieste consolidates a strategic position, supported by its research system and specialization in fields such as data science and advanced technologies. The hub of Gorizia is more contained, with potential linked to the development of cross-border activities connected to GO!2025.

The analysis also signals a positive economic trend but not without pressures: revenues grow, but margins are more compressed, with operating costs and investments increasing. Also on the innovation front, an evolving trajectory emerges, with growth signals indicating a potential still in consolidation.

The 2025 focus highlights how internationalization represents a development trajectory still largely unexpressed for the ICT sector: only a limited share of companies shows a continuous presence on foreign markets.

During the presentation event, Guido Bortoluzzi, professor of Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship at the University of Trieste and Pro-Rector for relations with companies and the territory, moderated the roundtable with entrepreneurs and managers of the sector, with the participation of Alfa Sistemi, Beantech, EMC Gems, Esteco, MOLO17 and Video Systems.

Taking up the contents emerged in the discussion – dedicated to internationalization – Bortoluzzi emphasized how the IT sector presents a “two-speed” dynamic: strongly global upstream, on the front of platforms and enabling technologies (mainly American), and much more local downstream, in the market of providers and system integrators, often concentrated on the customization of solutions developed by large players. The roundtable, he observed, however confirmed that concrete models of international opening exist: from companies with very vertical products and business models – which are born already with a global projection – to “piggyback” internationalization, when the supplier follows the expansion abroad of its clients (for example by opening a branch near a new plant). Overall, he concluded, the international propensity of the sector remains moderate on the market, but more driven on the side of suppliers and platforms.

Among the guests of the roundtable also Carlo Poloni, CEO of Esteco. For the first academic spin-off of the University of Trieste “internationalization represents a necessity and a way of being”. “Our market – Poloni explained - has always been that of those who develop sophisticated industrial products regardless of where this happens. While maintaining the central core of development in Trieste, support for customers has always been global”.

The complete report is available on fvgdigitale.ditedi.it

After 15 years of research, including three dedicated to the collection of non-profit funding, the MirtaRett project coordinated by Enrico Tongiorgi (UniTS Department of Life Sciences), finally enters clinical practice with the administration of the first therapy to a young patient at the Gaslini Hospital in Genoa.

In February 2025, the Italian Pharmaceuticals Agency (AIFA) received the positive opinion of the National Ethics Committee for Paediatric Studies and thus gave the green light to the first worldwide trial on Mirtazapine in Rett Syndrome, a serious neurological disease that affects almost exclusively girls.

The clinical study, coordinated by the University of Trieste, will initially extend to 15 young patients and will take place in the main Italian reference hospitals for Rett Syndrome. The trial is fully covered by non-profit funds.

The project is supported by the unconditional contribution of Angelini Pharma SpA, Fondazione Canali Onlus, Fondazione Ico Falck and Fondazione Amadei and Setti. In addition to the pharmacological experimentation, the project also provides for the continuous monitoring of patients' vital parameters, such as breathing, heart rate and blood oxygenation. For this purpose, smart T-shirts are used, already distributed to hospitals in Genoa, Siena, Messina and Milan. Originally developed for monitoring athletes, these T-shirts are made of cotton woven with nanofibres capable of detecting the weak electrical signals of the human body and are tailor-made for each patient by the Italian company AccYouRate Group.

What is Mirtazapine?

Mirtazapine is a commercially available drug, therefore more easily accessible and sustainable. To facilitate its intake, a European company has been identified that can produce it in liquid formulation, a solution that is not widespread since the drug is normally marketed globally as tablets. ‘Our laboratory at UniTS Department of Life Sciences was the first in the world to demonstrate that mirtazapine, despite being an antidepressant, acts on broader mechanisms and can improve breathing, motor control, sleep quality and social communication in patients with Rett’s syndrome,’ explains Prof. Tongiorgi.

Access to the trial is open to new patients

In Friuli Venezia Giulia it is estimated that there are three or four girls affected by the syndrome who are not currently included in the study, but the prospects remain encouraging. ‘We hope that the health facilities in the region will also be able to participate in the trial,’ Tongiorgi said.

To ensure the scientific validity of the study, it is necessary to reach a total of 54 patients aged between 5 and 40 years, divided into the ranges 5-10, 11-17 and 18-40 years. Approximately one third have been recruited so the search for new participants is still open.

The Equal Opportunities Committee (CUG) awarded the best degree and doctoral theses on fighting all forms of discrimination, promoting equal opportunities and wellbeing at study and work places.

The award for the best undergraduate thesis went to Michela Predonzani, who wrote an essay on ‘Inclusive sport as a complementary action in rehabilitation projects aimed at people with intellectual disabilities’.

The award for the two best master’s degree thesis went to Jessica Baldassi (Gender certification: Irisiacqua case study) and to Chiara Granato (an adaptive school: a space that creates inclusion).

Costanza Ziani was awarded for the best PhD thesis, which was entitled ‘From organisational wellbeing to wellbeing organisation in the public administration’.

The variety of themes covered in the theses and the number of applications submitted show that the sensitivity to these issues has grown considerably. This also demonstrate the strategic nature of the path taken by the Equal Opportunities Committee and the entire  University in terms of information and training.

From health emergencies to sustainable everyday shopping, from support for out-of-town students to the wellbeing of pets, all the way to international learning mobility: these are the themes of the five entrepreneurial projects awarded at the Innovators Community Lab 2025 (ICL) final, held in the Sala Cappella of the former Military Hospital in via Fabio Severo.

The event concluded the first edition of ICL, which builds on the experience of the University of Trieste’s Contamination Lab.

During the final, the 20 finalist projects developed throughout this year’s programme were presented. The five €5,000 scholarships for the best entrepreneurial projects were awarded to: ResQ by Francesco Sulli, a Physics student, who aims to develop a smart first-aid case for companies, schools and public spaces; SiVale by Valentina Malijevic, a Law student, outlining a sustainable, plastic-free supermarket based on reusable and traceable containers; inU by Jovana Obradovic, a Psychology student, a digital platform supporting students in choosing a university and in out-of-town life in Friuli Venezia Giulia; Aura by Asja Feruglio, PhD in Design for Made in Italy—developed in collaboration with Siminozar Bahram, a Business Management student—proposing an advanced solution to reduce odours in dogs, combining scientific method and design; Kansje by Chiara Doga’, a Philosophy student, an app that collects and makes accessible opportunities for training and international mobility for young people.

Two training trips were also awarded to Francesco Sulli and Valentina Maljevic, as the best students of the course, enabling them to visit international innovation ecosystems. Overall, the awarded projects and profiles confirm the heterogeneous, multidisciplinary and cosmopolitan character of the ICL cohort, where the exchange of experiences and ideas involved students from different degree programmes and levels—from Physics to Law, from Psychology to Design, Business Management and Philosophy—and from diverse backgrounds.

The final also hosted the round table “Training to innovate: the driver of youth entrepreneurship”, bringing together universities, institutions and the business community on the role of education as a driver of innovation. In the discussion, moderated by journalist Paolo Pichierri, Rector Donata Vianelli stressed the importance of creating structured opportunities for dialogue among young people engaged in different academic pathways, pointing to the value of cross-fertilisation between skills and perspectives to support the transition from idea to entrepreneurial project, and highlighting the need to open up to international contexts and networks. The round table also featured Francesca Ros, President of Confindustria Giovani Alto Adriatico, and Giacomo Andolfato, President of Confindustria Giovani Udine.

Erik Vesselli, UniTS Delegate for Technology Transfer, added: “The Innovators Community Lab brings together the university’s three missions: education, research and social engagement. Technology transfer becomes tangible when research results enter territories, companies and institutions, also through the creation of new start-ups. This can only happen by working side by side, in a cross-fertilisation process involving lecturers, researchers, female and male students, and representatives of the entrepreneurial ecosystem.”

The ICL training programme, now structured to award 6 ECTS credits to those who complete it, further strengthened role-modeling opportunities in this edition, offering examples, experiences and contacts to understand first-hand the dynamics of innovation, enterprise and work through direct engagement with key players from the productive system. Alongside seminars and networking, ICLabbers visited the headquarters of the Marcegaglia Group, where they met the company leadership and toured Casa Marcegaglia, the corporate museum that tells the story, values and vision of a major industrial group.

During the evening, the call for the ICL 2025/2026 edition was also presented, with applications open until 12 January 2026. Full information and the call text are available on the University portal.

Awarded projects (project profiles)

Francesco Sulli, Physics student – “ResQ”
ResQ is a smart first-aid case designed to revolutionise emergency management in workplaces, schools and public spaces. It combines certified medical supplies with integrated sensors and a digital interface that guides users step by step, even those without medical training. Through the ResQ Connect app, it monitors the kit’s status, supply expiry dates and intervention history, simplifying the work of H&S officers and safety managers. The project foresees a family of products (Lite, Standard, Pro, Extreme) for contexts ranging from home use to construction sites and extreme outdoor scenarios.

Valentina Malijevic, Law student – “SiVale”
SiVale, a sustainable supermarket
Each year, millions of tonnes of packaging waste come from shopping baskets. Recycling is improving, but it is not enough: the real issue lies in the single-use model. SiVale was created to change this system, positioning itself as a new-generation supermarket. Here, products are sold loose and via refill dispensers, with free use of reusable containers equipped with RFID technology to ensure traceability. Reverse vending machines collect used containers, put them back into circulation and reward customers at the same time. Shopping no longer generates waste, but becomes an act of innovation and environmental responsibility. SiVale shows that a circular, plastic-free and technologically advanced model can become normal, desirable and scalable.

Jovana Obradovic, Psychology student – “inU”
inU is an independent digital platform that supports students in choosing a university and living as out-of-town students in Friuli Venezia Giulia. It integrates authentic course reviews, peer-to-peer support, detailed local information and a structured partnership with the Regional Guidance Centre (COR) to provide free professional support. With a freemium model and a B2B strategy with local partners, inU aims to become the region’s go-to hub for informed, student-centred university guidance, helping reduce university dropout and enhance the territory.

Asja Feruglio, PhD in Design for Made in Italy – “Aura”
Project developed with Siminozar Bahram, Business Management student
Aura is a research project developing an advanced solution to reduce odours in dogs, ensuring effectiveness, skin safety and biocompatibility. Combining scientific method and design, it delivers a product conceived to improve everyday hygiene and animal wellbeing. Its essence is not merely a fragrance: it represents the bond between dog and human being, a design that translates that relationship into an emotional and identity-based value.

Chiara Doga’, Philosophy student – “Kansje”
Kansje—Dutch for “small opportunity”—is an app designed for young people who want to pursue training or mobility experiences abroad, even with limited time or financial resources. Many free opportunities, funded by the EU or community-based, remain little known and hard to find: Kansje is the first unified database making them accessible through an intelligent matchmaking system that identifies the most suitable experiences for each user. The app also offers personalised guidance before and after departure, an educational pathway to prepare for travel, and a dedicated forum to connect with other young people.

The event organised by the Career Service of the University of Trieste was held this evening (Wednesday 10th December 2025), Homecoming – Success stories from UniTS and Alumni Happy Hour (aperitivo con gli alumni), to inspire new members and students who have already started their university careers and to foster mutual exchange, strengthening a link between those who are still attending the University and those who have not abandoned it, despite having finished their studies. 

THE GUESTS AND THE PROGRAMME – Four UniTS Alumni - now established professionals in different sectors - Andrea Cozzi (responsible for the New Exploration Initiatives and General Manager of Eni in Lebanon), Chiara Pacella (lead of the Language Management and Localization Quality Program teams of Meta), Silvia Toffolutti (Global Diversity and Inclusion and Wellbeing Lead of Chiesi) and Diego Scapolan (Project Manager of Allianz) moderated by Cristina Perini, head of the Press Office of the University of Trieste and graduated in Communication Sciences, shared their different experiences, from online dissemination to a job in multinational companies, in as many different stories, united from the same starting point: the University of Trieste. 

The event was held at the former Military Hospital of Trieste, the historic building of Via Fabio Severo, which has been housing the new Student Residence Hall since last September as the result of an agreement between the University of Trieste and ARDiS. 

‘The University of Trieste is part of a unique ecosystem of knowledge, in an area where there are important research centres. It is a university that tests you, that also teaches you to accept failure and get up. I also had to repeat tests, in one case I gave myself a ‘failed’ on my own. In my university career, failures have been moments of growth’, stressed the Magnificent Rector Prof. Donata Vianelli in her opening speech, pointing out how the stories of those who have passed through those same university classrooms can help those who attend them today in facing a passage that is not without challenges, in the context of a labour market in which there are fewer and fewer clear and predefined paths and more and more careers to be built with vision and courage. The Rector addressed a direct invitation to those present: ‘Choose paths that fascinate you both at university and at work’.

During the first part of the evening, ‘UniTS Success Stories’, hosted in the Sala Cappella, the five Alumni spoke to the audience of UniTS students, researchers, teachers and administrative staff describing their own personal, often original, path, which led them from graduation to the construction of a solid career.

ALUMNI – Andrea Cozzi, graduate in Geology, is now in charge of the New Exploration Initiatives and General Manager of Eni in Lebanon, explained how from a path initially bent towards academic teaching he has converted to the search for oil. From his university experience, he recalled the great spirit of collaboration and closeness between students, elements that also accompanied him in subsequent professional challenges in complex international contexts.

On the other hand, Chiara Pacella, via video link from Dublin, spoke about the transition from the local university dimension to work in a large international reality such as Meta: a graduate in Interpreting and Translation, today Pacella is Lead of the company’s Language Management team and Localization Quality Program, and she recommended that students seize all international opportunities to engage with other contexts and broaden their perspectives, starting with Erasmus. Her work focuses on the cultural adaptation of digital products, integrating language skills and technological tools in a hybrid model between human contribution and new technologies. When talking about her education in Trieste, she stressed the ‘very solid and high-level foundations’, fully comparable to those experienced in other contexts, albeit within a challenging and ‘severe’ path.

Silvia Toffolutti, on the other hand, deals with human resources. After graduating in Philosophy, she completed an MBA in Organisation and Personnel Management at Bocconi University in Milan and today she is Global Diversity and Inclusion and Wellbeing Lead at the Chiesi Group. In her speech, she illustrated projects dedicated to diversity and inclusion, with a particular focus on gender equality and the inclusion of people with disabilities, including the monitoring of gender pay gaps, company policies related to parenting and the promotion of women’s leadership. From her philosophy studies she said that she had brought at work the dialectical approach, the curiosity and the desire to question consolidated points of view: fundamental qualities to innovate also within organisations.

Last but not least, Diego Scapolan, graduated in Business Administration & Administrative and Professional Consulting, now Project Manager at Allianz. Scapolan advised the students not to be frightened by challenges, but to embrace them with enthusiasm and ‘a pinch of unconsciousness’, he suggested to cultivate a mentality of continuous learning, indispensable today more than ever to face the needs of a rapidly changing society and, therefore, the labour market. He recalled the role of talent management to understand the skills that will be required in the future and called for ‘seeing the stars but aiming for the moon’, without forgetting one’s loved ones and passions – such as sport – that should not be sacrificed for work. He also suggested using experiences such as Erasmus to see what is outside and compare with other realities.

The knowledge and exchange continued at the end of the talk with a networking aperitif where students and PhD students had the opportunity to discuss directly with teachers and alumni, in a relaxed context that helped to strengthen the sense of belonging to a community that UniTS wants to enhance. A network from which opportunities and collaborations can be generated, in the spirit of the Alumni project. Mentors also took part in the event: professionals with at least five years of work experience in various fields, graduates of the University of Trieste, members of the Mentors4UniTS initiative, thanks to which the University supports students enrolled in the penultimate or final year of a master’s degree course to achieve a growth path. The comparison with mentors helps them to focus their professional goals and enhance their attitudes: after some online meetings, tomorrow, Thursday 11th December 2025, the mentors will meet in person the students assigned to them.

THE EVENT IN SHORT – Homecoming – UniTS Success Stories is an annual event dedicated to students now at its seventh edition: today’s students, currently enrolled at the University of Trieste, and yesterday’students, the Alumni who bring their experience through inspiring talks, encouraging encounter and dialogue. The aim of the initiative is to tell success stories of graduates of the University of Trieste who, thanks to the skills acquired during their university career, have built significant careers in different professional fields, helping to strengthen the reputation and prestige of the University, which has gained two positions in the 2025-2026 Censis ranking of Italian Universities, thus reaching 5th place among medium-sized universities (between 10,000 and 20,000 students); this result – which is accompanied by an increase of more than 13% in new enrolments for undergraduate degree courses compared to last year – is due, among other factors, to the employability of graduates and the quality of the facilities, and events such as Homecoming - UniTS Success Stories and Alumni Happy Hour want to help make these fact well known.

The engineering sector of Friuli Venezia Giulia is growing again and shows signs of resilience in a still complex scenario. This is clear from the latest report by the FVG Metal Mechanics Observatory, promoted by the COMET Cluster in collaboration with Area Science Park, Intesa Sanpaolo and the Universities of Trieste and Udine. The analysis shows an increase of 0.9% in the sector for 2025, in sharp contrast to the rest of regional manufacturing, which recorded a decrease of1.4%. 

The Observatory, in which the University of Trieste participates as a scientific partner through the Department of Economics, Business, Mathematics and Statistics (DEAMS), offers a detailed picture of a sector that accounts for around 43% of regional manufacturing on its own. The report presented at the end of 2025 certifies a reversal of the trend after two years of slight declines, showing how the FVG metalworking companies are reacting with determination to the complexity of international markets.

The economic and financial analysis gives an articulated picture: between 2021 and 2024, the sector’s overall turnover grew by around 8.7%, in line with national trends, but the comparison between 2024 and 2023 shows a contraction of 4.1% in the region, more marked than the Italian average. Profitability (Ebitda margin) fell to 10.8%, approaching national values, while capital strength improved, with an increase in the share of equity in liabilities.

The report also highlights a growing polarisation of this industry: micro and small companies are more exposed to market difficulties, while medium-sized and large companies, which are more export-oriented and have young governance, perform better. A distinctive feature of the engineering sector compared to the rest of regional manufacturing is the greater propensity to innovate: over a third of companies present concrete signs in this area, including patents, participation in European projects and collaborations with startups and research centres.

In this context, the role of the University of Trieste is to support the production system in reading emerging trends and risks. DEAMS contributes to the design and interpretation of the Observatory’s data, complementing quantitative analysis with qualitative survey tools, such as instant polls on companies’ expectations and strategies with regard to economic, geopolitical, social and technological factors.

‘The 2025 data confirm a key element: regional engineering companies are reacting decisively to the complexity of the international scenario’, comments Professor Guido Bortoluzzi, Professor of Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship at the University of Trieste. ‘Market diversification strategies show concrete signs of effectiveness and, despite geopolitical uncertainties and new tariffs, the sector has been able to navigate the storm better than the rest of the manufacturing sector.’

However, Bortoluzzi draws attention to the challenges that are emerging: ‘We cannot ignore the growing polarisation of this industry: the gap between those who run, driven by exports, certifications and a young governance, and those who struggle, is widening. The time for decisions based only on intuition is over. The future requires a paradigm shift for our companies based on strategic agility, data clarity and the ability to capture weak signals of change.’

To explain this passage, Prof. Bortoluzzi uses a maritime metaphor: ‘Radars are needed to intercept new emerging macrotrends, be they technological, economic or social. Internal connection “networks” are needed to quickly share information and make decisions faster than in the past. Finally, companies need to learn how to casting their “nets”: either by diversifying into more sectors to fish on the surface, or by specialising vertically in its core business to fish deeper and remain competitive in a world where competition has expanded. We have learned to navigate stormy seas, now we need to look up and prepare for the future with continuity, vision and courage.’