Human Rights Day is observed annually around the world on 10th December and commemorates the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, proclaimed in Paris in 1948. This landmark document enshrines the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being - regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

This year's theme, ‘Our Rights, Our Future, Right Now’, is a call to acknowledge the importance and relevance of human rights in our everyday lives. 

We have an opportunity to change perceptions by speaking up against hate speech, correcting misinformation and countering disinformation. As UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said, ‘Human rights are the foundation for peaceful, just, and inclusive societies.’

The new Innovator Community Lab (ICL) of the University of Trieste has been officially presented, a training course dedicated to innovation and young entrepreneurship that continues and renews the role of the CLab.

The ICL project will have a strong international vocation and will see the introduction of significant structural innovations: the lab, which will still be aimed at UniTS students wishing to develop an entrepreneurial project based on an original idea, will award participants with training credits that will form part of the student’s university career.

At the end of the one-year course, the new programme will award five scholarships worth 5,000 euros each for the best students and participation in short training stays. Starting this year, two winners will travel as visiting students to a major innovation centre.

The call for applications for the new Innovator Community Lab 2025, presented at the meeting, will select 30 UniTS students to start entrepreneurial training. The deadline for applications is 20th January 2025, all information is available on the Innovator Community Lab portal.

The announcement of the new ICLab was made during the annual event that concludes the CLab’s activities: the evening had opened with a round table entitled ‘The revolution of failure: the engine of innovation’. Moderated by Cristiano Degano, Regional President of the Order of Journalists, the discussion was attended by experts and business leaders such as Elisabeth Weingraber, business consultant; Gerd Pircher, CEO of HSBC Italy; Alberto Conta, Head of Administration of illycaffè; Susanna Martucci, CEO of Alisea Società Benefit; and Serena Zacchigna, Professor of Molecular Biology at UniTS and ICGEB Cardiovascular Biology Group Leader. The speakers offered young entrepreneurs insights on how to turn failure into an opportunity for growth and success.

The event also featured students from the course who, at the end of a year of training and coaching, transformed business ideas into structured projects ready for the market. The finalists presented the projects they had developed in a wide range of fields using frontier technologies in strategic sectors or with fast-growing markets: from artificial intelligence to renewable energies, from sustainable home heating to the enhancement of Made in Italy, to the development of platforms for customising fantasy games.

The winners of this edition were Leonardo Zamparini, a Physics student, and Valentina Coggiola, a Marketing & Management student, with the BrusaDoor project, and three Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics students - Ivan Buttignon, Tommaso Moro and Enrico Savorgnan – with the LiteAI project.

BrusaDoor proposes the development of an infrared radiant door for home heating, with an innovative design and intelligent management that optimises space and ensures thermal comfort, effectively integrating heating and interior design.

LiteAI, on the other hand, aims to provide tools that can improve children’s educational experience, offering fully customised, inclusive learning paths focused on the development of soft skills through playful-pedagogical activities.

Finally, during the meeting, the new Innovator Community Lab 2025 call for proposals was presented, which will continue its objective of training young entrepreneurs and supporting the growth of innovation. The University of Trieste thus confirms its role as promoter of young entrepreneurship, enhancing the talent and creativity of its students.

‘Congratulations to the winners and to all the participants in the training course,’ concluded Rodolfo Taccani, Deputy Rector for Technology Transfer. ‘All the students involved have demonstrated creativity, determination and a high level of entrepreneurial spirit. We are proud as a university to contribute to the training of a generation of innovators that our entrepreneurial system sorely needs.’

A dynamic sector, ready to face the challenges of innovation and diversification. This is the conclusion of the report of the FVG Metalworking Observatory, in which the DEAMS Department of UniTS has participated, providing cases and evidence of this phenomenon.

Area Science Park, the University of Udine and Intesa Sanpaolo were also scientific partners in the project.

These are the three main themes that emerged from the report:

International Vocation

The engineering sector represents 46% of the regional manufacturing industry, with an electromechanical specialisation (94% of the engineering sector). In the November 2024 snapshot, the sector ‘held up’ better than predicted in the June flash report, with 5,114 companies (-0.3% compared to November 2023, instead of -0.7%), while the rest of manufacturing performed in line with forecasts. The province of Udine, which accounts for 45% of the regional companies, is the area that has recorded the largest decline since 2021 (-2.3%). The province of Pordenone remained stable with 32% of the companies. The tendency towards internationalisation remains strong (41% of companies); exports are more widespread among medium and large companies, which are often innovative and certified.

Diversification and Economic Performance

Intesa Sanpaolo's internal survey of its commercial network shows that FVG companies are increasing the geographical diversification of their sales and supply markets, above the Italian average. In 2023, turnover growth at current prices was 22.5%, with an improvement in margins (+2 points compared to 2019), driven by foreign operations (growth of 25.9%) and participation in the construction supply chain.

Business Diversification Strategies

In a rapidly changing market, FVG companies are exploring new strategies: some are focusing on geographical or sectoral diversification to grow or to avoid crises, while others are strengthening their presence in existing markets. However, diversification requires transversal skills and the ability to adapt to the rules of new markets not possessed by all companies.

From 4th to 8th December 2024, Trieste University Press (EUT) will be among the 597 exhibitors at ‘Più libri più liberi’ (the more books, the more freedom), the national fair of small and medium-sized publishers, hosted at the Rome Convention Centre - La Nuvola. A unique appointment for the publishing world that will bring together 597 exhibitors from all over Italy, ready to present novelties and catalogues to the general public.

EUT will be part of the UPI – Italian University Press collective stand (Stand B66-B68), in collaboration with other academic and scientific publishers. During the five days of the fair, curated by Chiara Valerio, more than 700 events are planned, including meetings with authors, debates and readings, offering the public and professionals an opportunity to dialogue and discover the new frontiers of small and medium publishing.

The theme of the 23rd edition, ‘The Measure of the World’, celebrates the 700th anniversary of the death of Marco Polo, author of The Million. A tribute to imagination as a tool for exploring and narrating the world through the pages of books, real maps for discovering new territories of thought.

Once again this year UniTS has taken ‘a hop, skip and a jump for research’!

A blue wave of 300 runners took part in the Telethon 24x1 Hour Relay Race, now tradition, with representatives from the entire academic community. The race was held in Udine over the weekend of 30th November and 1st December.

The runners, grouped in teams, each ran a one-hour stretch on the route established by organisers in the historic centre of Udine.

From Piazzale Europa to Piazza I Maggio in Udine, the UniTS running team mobilised all members of the University of Trieste to participate in the initiative dedicated to charitable causes and raising awareness of the importance of research of rare genetic diseases.

Vice-Rector Valter Sergo ran part of the race and took the lead at the opening of the event, along with Director General Luciana Rozzini and four heads of department (Massimo Degrassi - DiSU, Ivan Donati - DSV, Stefano Parolai - MIGe and Donata Vianelli - DEAMS) and a large number of professors, technical and administrative staff and students, some even braving the cold night-time temperatures.

By taking part in this initiative, the University community reaffirmed its commitment to research and its support for public initiatives which have a profound impact on society.

Once again in this edition of the Telethon, the UniTS community were the most numerous, colourful and festive representation of Trieste.

Five UniTS PhD graduates were awarded € 3,000 each in the inaugural edition of the PHD Innovation Award, the prize designed to celebrate the merit, innovation and creativity of young scientists in the year of the University of Trieste’s 100th Anniversary.

The winners are:

Francesco Armillotta, PhD Course in Physics, with a thesis entitled ‘Mono and Bi-metallic Tetra Pyridyl Porphyrin Monolayers from Uhv to Near - Ambient Conditions’, supervisor Erik Vesselli;

Beatrice Bartolomei, PhD Course in Nanotechnology, with a thesis on ‘Carbon Nanodots: from Purification Strategies to Multifunctional Materials’, supervisor Maurizio Prato and coordinator Alberto Morgante;

Luca Grisetti, PhD Course in Molecular Biomedicine, with a thesis entitled ‘The role of Aurora Kinase A in the Development of Hepatocellular Carcinoma and in the Regulation of Programmed Death - Ligand 1’, supervisors Claudio Tiribelli and Devis Pascut, coordinator Germana Meroni;

Silvia Mauri, PhD Course in Nanontechnology, with a thesis on ‘Operando Soft X - Ray Absorption Spectroscopy Applications for the Investigation of Surface Reactivity of Heterogeneous Catalysts for Methanol Valorization’, supervisor Piero Torelli, coordinator Alberto Mogante;

and

Paola Tesolin, PhD Course in Reproductive and Developmental Sciences, with a thesis on ‘Phenotypic High Throughput Screening Highlights Promising Molecules for the Treatment of SLC7A8 Dependent Age - Related Hearing LO’, speakers Paolo Gasparini and Giorgia Girotto, coordinator Paolo Gasparini.

The response from the call for applications for the first PHD Innovation Award was exceptional. Out of 220 eligible applicants, as many as 95 students applied (56% women), demonstrating their self-belief in the excellence of their work. 

The awards ceremony was opened with greetings from the Rector Roberto Di Lenarda, the Director of the UniTS Doctoral School Alessandro Baraldi, and speeches from the three external judges of the award: Maurizio Manzin, Professor at the University of Trento, with a speech on ‘Innovation and technoscience in the post-thinking era’, Silvia Gross, Professor at the University of Padova, with ‘Chemistry between past, present and future: a versatile tool for the green transition' and Anna Cereseto, Professor at the University of Trento, on ‘The genome editing revolution in the life sciences: from advanced therapies to the new agrifood’.

‘In recent years, UniTS has shown a firm commitment to strengthening higher education. Since 2019/2020, we have significantly increased the number of scholarships funded directly by the University, reaching almost 200 places in the latest call for applications for the 13 PhD courses,’ emphasised Prof. Baraldi. ’Not only have we increased the number of places available, but we have also seen an increase in course popularity. This year, for the 40th round of PhD grants, applications exceeded 1,000, marking an increase of 21% over the previous year and 53% over two years ago.’

In the photo: Prof. Alessandro Baraldi with the three winners present at the award ceremony

Over 4,000 Italian teams responded to the invitation made by Red Bull Basement, the international event that brings together a new generation of innovators ready to conceive, develop and launch their ideas with the acceleration of AI.

Innovators and emerging entrepreneurs from all over Italy presented new-generation ideas and solutions and, after examining all the entries, the national jury selected the winning idea: it is ‘BatterIT’ presented by Andrea Berti, a PhD student in Nanotechnology at UniTS, and Andrea Miotto, currently employed at Ferrari in the Marketing and Finance sector.

They will therefore represent Italy at the Red Bull Basement World Final in Tokyo from 2nd to 5th December 2024.

Despite the high quality of the finalist entries, which made the choice truly challenging, the jury was unanimous in awarding victory to BatterIT, an innovative hybrid motor that combines a sodium battery and a combustion engine.

Unlike lithium batteries, sodium batteries are made from abundant and low-cost materials such as salt and are fully recyclable, non-flammable and non-toxic to humans while maintaining their efficiency over a longer lifetime. Based on these advantages, BatterIT paves the way for greener, safer and more durable solutions in the electrified transport sector.

‘Our idea is unique because it focuses on an under-explored area that nevertheless presents great opportunities: the application of sodium batteries in the transport sector,’ the winners explain. ’Although this technology is rooted in decades of development and has significant potential, research in the automotive sector is still limited and few companies are actively working on its real possibilities.

‘BatterIT has the potential to transform the world of transport by directly addressing one of the most pressing needs in the automotive market: the demand for safer and more sustainable hybrid solutions. Sodium batteries, with their reliability, affordability, environmental safety and recyclability, offer an attractive alternative to traditional lithium technologies. By reducing dependence on scarce, expensive and polluting materials, they not only

make green energy more accessible but also achieve a significant reduction in CO₂ emissions during the production and extraction processes.

This makes our solution a game-changer in the world of sustainable mobility, able to accelerate the transition to cleaner and more inclusive energy systems,' they conclude.

The University of Trieste, with Prof. Claudia Cherubini, is the only Italian university invited to take part in the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) ‘Governance Day - Inclusive, equitable, and responsible land governance for awareness raising, legal and policy frameworks, partnership building and resource mobilisation.’ of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 2nd to 13th December 2024 on the theme ‘Our Earth. Our Future'.

The UN Convention to Combat Desertification is the global reference for soil protection and one of the three major UN conventions together with those on climate and biodiversity. In this context, the COP is the annual summit of countries that have ratified the Convention, as well as the main decision-making body of the UNCCD.

Specifically, the UNCCD COP16 will be an important opportunity to strengthen global commitment and accelerate action to make land and communities more resilient to drought. Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the UNCCD, COP16 will also be the largest UN conference ever held and the first UNCCD COP to take place in the Middle East and North Africa region, which is intimately familiar with the impacts of desertification, land degradation and drought.

Claudia Cherubini is Associate Professor at the University of Trieste, Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Queensland (Australia) and Adjunct Professor at the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS). With a degree and PhD in Civil Hydraulic Engineering and a fluent knowledge of four foreign languages, she has collaborated on research projects at the Geowissenschaftliches Zentrum der Universität Göttingen, the US Geological Survey and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. She has held tenured positions at several universities in France, the UK and Australia. During her career, she has received numerous awards, including the Division Outstanding Young Scientists Award at the European Geosciences Union (EGU) and the XXIII edition of the Marisa Bellisario Prize in the category ‘Young Researchers and Innovation Talents.’ She has served as referee of the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) (France) and has been referee of the US Department of Defense for several years.

Federico Donelli, Professor of International Relations in the Department of Political and Social Sciences of the University of Trieste, was recently a guest at the Somali National University of Mogadisco (SNU), where he did a lecture for the students.

An official event in the academic field, Federico Donelli's lecture was the first by a visiting professor since the beginning of the Somali civil war, which has been taking place for over three decades.

In his speech, Donelli addressed recent political and security developments in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden area, with a particular focus on the constant intertwining of local, regional and global dimensions. Within this framework of general change, the area is being affected by local instability and fueled by regional and global rivalries and alliances.

Donelli deals with international security with a focus on the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa, and for several years has concentrated on the Red Sea region. “Travelling frequently for research purposes, I have been several times to Ethiopia, Somalia, Somaliland and Kenya. The area is, more than ever, of high geostrategic importance not only as a result of the Gaza war, but also in preparation for future global balance in the Indo-Pacific", explains the UniTS professor.

The SNU, while operating in a context of conflict and economic and political instability, continues to promote education as key to providing a future for the country and many of its young people.

‘The situation in Mogadishu remains critical,’ says Donelli, ‘but the most important aspect is the population’s constant effort to take action against the crisis. This strength was evident among SNU colleagues and students who took an active part in the post-lecture debate.’

Professor Donelli’s lecture, introduced by SNU Rector Hassan Osman Ga’al, was also attended by Italian Ambassador Pier Mario Daccò Coppi and his staff, who expressed appreciation for the University of Trieste’s commitment to Somalia.

The UniTS teacher’s invitation is part of a growing cooperation between the University of Trieste and SNU, who have been connected since 2015 by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two universities.

The commitment of Italian cooperation in Somalia in the field of science diplomacy started with a series of projects launched around 2012 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The project has worked with and still involves several Italian universities, including Sapienza University of Rome, Polytechnic University of Milan and the University of Pavia, and many others.

In the context of these projects, the mandate for Italian universities has always been that of the reconstruction and support of the Somali National University. UniTS has been specifically entrusted with its partnership with the Faculty of Economics. In this context, Italian universities have provided support through teaching materials, technology and skills transfers at various levels with SNU staff, from the Rector to the students. The current Rector of SNU, Hassan Osman Ga'al, visited the University of Trieste for a semester in 2018, while Somali students had the opportunity to attend courses offered by UniTS thanks to scholarships funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI).

Now a new phase of connection with Somalia is starting, involving a move from national cooperation to regional cooperation. In February 2024, the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region and the University of Trieste were visited by the Rector of the SNU and a delegation led by the Deputy Minister of Education. It was composed of Somali parliamentarians and members of the SAGAL association, including members of the Somali diaspora, to discuss possible collaboration agreements.

In addition to opening up important academic opportunities, this new collaboration with our region is a welcome sign of continuity for many of the main teachers of the Somali University, including the current rector and his predecessor, who obtained their PhDs in Friuli Venezia Giulia and have maintained a strong link with the region which has welcomed them so openly in the past.

For the first time, direct evidence of the use of psychotropic substances in ancient Ptolemaic Egyptian rituals has been uncovered: researchers have uncovered details invisible to the naked eye inside a ritual vessel dating back over 2,000 years. 

The study, co-ordinated by Enrico Greco, Professor of Chemistry of the Environment and Cultural Heritage at the University of Trieste, with the collaboration of the Tampa Museum of Art and the University of South Florida, the University of Milan and Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste, was published in the journal Scientific Reports (Nature Group) and supported by the European Research Infrastructure Consortium CERIC-ERIC.   

Based on direct scientific evidence, the study represents the first documented example of the intentional use of psychedelics in Egyptian rituals to induce dreamlike visions, meditative states and communication with the divine, and demonstrates the ancient Egyptians' sophisticated knowledge of natural resources and their effects on the human mind. Although hypotheses based on iconography and texts have been advanced in the past, this research provides concrete physical evidence. The findings also link these practices to wider Mediterranean and Near Eastern traditions, suggesting cultural exchanges that influenced the ritual and medical knowledge of ancient civilisations.

Enrico Greco, Professor of Chemistry of the Environment and Cultural Heritage at the University of Trieste and coordinator of the study, emphasises: ‘This discovery was only possible thanks to a highly multidisciplinary approach: by combining state-of-the-art scientific techniques with cultural, linguistic and historical analysis, we obtained information that traditional archaeology alone could not have provided. This underlines the power of interdisciplinary collaboration in solving the mysteries of antiquity.’

The research was carried out using advanced scientific techniques: proteomics, metabolomics, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy coupled to synchrotron light (SR µ-FTIR) and metabarcoding of plant DNA. Chiaramaria Stani, CERIC-ERIC researcher at Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste's SISSI unit, emphasises: ‘These analyses made it possible to identify the ceremonial content of the vase, although the residual traces were minimal, but well preserved in the porosity of the pottery.’  

I The vase is decorated with the head of the Egyptian god Bes, a grotesque but benevolent deity often used as a protective amulet for the home. Study has also allowed the deity to be attributed a mystical role, linked to altered states of consciousness and divinatory rituals. There are about twelve other vases depicting the god Bes. 

Traces of Peganum harmala (Syrian rue), Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea (blue water lily) and a plant of the genus Cleome, all known for their psychotropic or medicinal properties, were detected in the mixture analysed. These substances were combined with fermented liquids or other ingredients such as honey or royal jelly. Furthermore, analysis revealed the presence of human fluids, such as blood and mucous membrane proteins, suggesting that the jar was used in symbolic and transformative rituals, probably related to female fertility, through the attainment of altered states of consciousness.
 

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Study published in Scientific Reports

Multianalytical investigation reveals psychotropic substances in a ptolemaic Egyptian vase

Davide Tanasi1, Branko F. van Oppen de Ruiter2, Fiorella Florian3, Radmila Pavlovic4,5, Luca Maria Chiesa4, Igor Fochi6, Chiaramaria Stani7, Lisa Vaccari8, Dale Chaput9, Giorgio Samorini10, Alberto Pallavicini3, Sabrina Semeraro11, Anastasia Serena Gaetano11, Sabina Licen11, Pierluigi Barbieri11 & Enrico Greco11

1. Department of History, University of South Florida, 4202 E Fowler Ave, Tampa, FL, 33620, US
2. Tampa Museum of Art, 120 W Gasparilla Plaza, Tampa, FL, 33602, US
3. Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, via Licio Giorgieri 5, Trieste, 34127, Italy
4. Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Milan, via dell’Università 6, Lodi, 26900, Italy
5. ProMeFa, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, via dell’Olgettina 60, Milan, 20132, Italy
6. Thermo Fisher Scientific S.p.A., Rodano, Milan, 20090, Italy
7. CERIC-ERIC, S. S. 14 - km 163,5 in AREA Science Park, Basovizza, Trieste, 34149, Italy
8. Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., S.S. 14 - km 163,5 in AREA Science Park, Basovizza, Trieste, 34149, Italy
9. Department Molecular Biosciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA
10. Independent Researcher, Bologna, Italy
11. Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, via Licio Giorgieri 1, Trieste, 34127, Italy