From 3rd to 8th November, Vitiligo Week will be held throughout Italy, an initiative promoted by SIDeMaST to raise awareness and support people affected by this condition. During the week, over a thousand free consultations will be available in 40 dermatology centres in Italy, including the Dermatology Clinic and STD Centres of the University of Trieste and ASUGI.

In Trieste, consultations will be held on 7th November from 15:00 to 17:30 in the Dermatology Clinic and STD Centre of the Maggiore Hospital, Infectious Diseases Building, 4th floor. 

To book a free consultation during Vitiligo Week, please call the toll-free number 800226466, available Monday to Saturday, from 9:00 to 13:00 and from 14:00 to 18:00.

Professor Iris Zalaudek, full professor of Skin and Venereal Diseases at UniTS and head of the Dermatology Clinic and STD Centre, emphasises the importance of the initiative: ‘Vitiligo is a chronic, non-infectious skin disease characterised by white patches often located on visible areas such as the face or hands. It is precisely the visibility of the disease that often causes feelings of stigmatisation, shame, depression, anxiety or social withdrawal in those affected. For this reason, we at the Dermatology Clinic in Trieste are participating by offering free medical consultations during Vitiligo Week, sponsored by the Italian society of dermatology and sexually transmitted diseases (SIDeMaST).’

From 1st November, the University of Trieste will launch three new specialisation schools, offering training for future allergists and clinical immunologists, pathologists and vascular surgeons.

Thanks to this further expansion of the University course catalogue, the Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences (DSM) at UniTS is offering 32 medical specialisation schools this year, the highest number ever. The Department will welcome up to 254 new specialty trainees, thanks to grants funded by the Ministry of University and Research and the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region.

The three new postgraduate courses reflect the University’s strong growth trend, as has been seen in the creation of schools of haematology, microbiology and virology (for non-physicians) over the last two years. The University’s investment in these schools aims to expand the areas of specialisation in sectors crucial to citizens' health and respond to the needs of the healthcare system.

Medical specialisation schools are postgraduate training courses for graduates in Medicine and Surgery. Courses last four or five years (depending on the area of specialisation) and are accessed through a national competition. The specialisations offered, to name but a few, range from general surgery to neurology, from urology to gynaecology, from orthopaedics to internal medicine and palliative care. There are also active and highly attractive courses for training cardiologists, dermatologists, gastroenterologists and pulmonologists.

In addition to the medical schools, the Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences also offers courses in healthcare and dentistry. Within the field of healthcare, three schools (Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical Genetics, and Microbiology and Virology) offer courses that run parallel to those offered within the field of medicine, but these healthcare specialisation schools are reserved for graduates with master's degrees in biology and pharmacology. The University also offers all three dental schools provided for by Italian law, reserved for graduates in Dentistry and Dental Prosthetics, who can specialise in oral surgery, paediatric dentistry and orthodontics. 

The regulations governing specialisation schools in the health and dentistry fields are currently undergoing a review, which for the first time provides for a limited number of scholarships for enrolled students, while maintaining admission selections at university level. The implementing decrees are currently being finalised and will soon allow the courses to start and UniTS will be able to welcome an additional 34 specialisation students. 

The same review phase also affects Neuropsychology, the University of Trieste’s 39th school.  This school is the only one to sit outside medicine and is also the only one affiliated with the Department of Life Sciences. The School of Neuropsychology expects to welcome six specialisation students. 

‘The training of specialists,’ says Luigi Murena, Head of the Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences at UniTS, ‘is essential for the sustainability of the healthcare system and for responding to the health needs of citizens. Our department is committed to supporting the expansion of the course catalogue, which has reached a record number of 38 schools, to ensuring high-quality training and to fulfilling significant organisational and administrative responsibilities. Specialisation schools allow us to train young professionals in the health field who will be at the forefront of the transformations and great opportunities offered by the application of new technologies and the results of research in clinical practice.’ 

The new Specialisation Schools in detail

Allergology and Clinical Immunology (director Prof. Giacomo Emmi)    
The Specialisation School in Allergology and Clinical Immunology is a brand-new addition to Trieste and the entire region. The four-year course offers comprehensive training in paediatric and adult immuno-allergology, integrating clinical activities in internal medicine, allergology, immunology and rheumatology with solid laboratory training. The School responds to a healthcare need given the shortage of specialists and aims to produce professionals with up-to-date and cross-disciplinary skills. The goal is to effectively address the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges associated with allergies, immunodeficiencies, autoimmune and rare diseases, while promoting excellence in training and within the healthcare network.

Vascular Surgery (director Prof. Sandro Lepidi)         
The School of Specialisation in Vascular Surgery is reopening in Trieste after 17 years, offering a unique training opportunity in the region. The course is dedicated to young doctors who wish to specialise in the treatment of vascular diseases, both arterial and venous, from a diagnostic, pharmacological and surgical point of view. The training covers both traditional surgery and the use of sophisticated minimally invasive endovascular techniques. Specialty trainees will have access to state-of-the-art facilities, such as the University's new Simulation Centre and the ‘hybrid’ operating theatre for vascular surgery, where high-precision procedures can take place. Trainees in this school will also benefit from training and research conducted in collaboration with national and international centres of excellence.

Pathological Anatomy (director Prof. Fabrizio Zanconati)    
The School of Specialisation in Pathological Anatomy is returning to Trieste after being run jointly with the University of Udine since 2008, reviving a tradition that dates back to the early 1970s. The aim is to capitalise on recent technological innovations, in particular ‘digital pathology’ with computer-assisted analysis of specimens and molecular pathological diagnostics applied to oncology. These technologies will improve the selection of patients eligible for personalised therapies. Specialty trainees will be able to carry out their training and thesis activities in the fields of oncology, cytodiagnostics and screening. The School will collaborate with regional centres of excellence and participate in international networks, such as the European Advanced Master in Molecular Pathology.

A Palestinian student, Ameer Alzerei, winner of the IUPALS – Italian Universities for Palestinian Students scholarship funded by UniTS, is on his way to Trieste.

Roberta Altin, the Rector’s Delegate for Development Cooperation, speaking from Milan airport where she welcomed the student who had departed from Amman (Jordan), commented: “With this initiative, the University of Trieste wishes to show its support for students and for the Palestinian population who in recent months have been facing extreme and unacceptable hardships. Both schools and universities have been destroyed, and as an Italian university network we are working to uphold the right to education for young Palestinian women and men.”

The IUPALS programme is an initiative conceived and promoted by CRUI – the Conference of Italian University Rectors. It will award 97 scholarships across 35 Italian universities to students from the Palestinian Territories so they can benefit from an international education by accessing academic programmes in Italy.

Most of the students are arriving in Italy over these hours and are making their way to the various university campuses that have offered their support.

The project—developed in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Ministry of Universities and Research, and the Consulate General of Italy in Jerusalem—has also relied on crucial collaboration from the Guardia di Finanza, the Civil Protection and the European Civil Protection Mechanism, the Consulate General of Italy in Jerusalem, the Embassy of Italy in Jordan, the Crisis Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Terra Sancta Schools, and the Giovanni Paolo II Foundation.

The possibility of opening a corridor for students and scholars from Gaza has been a hard‑won achievement, since until now leaving the Gaza Strip had been permitted only for medical reasons or family reunification. The arrival of this first student was coordinated by the Development Cooperation Staff Unit in synergy with the Delegate for Mobility and International Relations, Prof. Elisabetta De Giorgi.

A collaboration agreement has been signed between the UniTS Department of Engineering and Architecture and the Municipality of Trieste to promote and enhance the city's contemporary architectural heritage, including the suburbs.

Thanks to access to the rich documentation of the Municipality's Technical Archive, the University, combining research and teaching, will promote in particular the work of Luciano Celli, one of the city's leading designers.

The results of the collaboration will be disseminated through cultural events, seminars and conferences, with the aim of highlighting the role of quality architecture in the sustainable development and identity of the city and its region.

'The relationship between UniTS and the Municipality is fundamental for the research and enhancement of the local architectural heritage. The newly launched project will focus on the figure of Luciano Celli. We will study and analyse part of his archive through digital redesign and illustrate and disseminate it to citizens so that we can rediscover together the golden years of Trieste's urban and architectural transformation,’ explained Adriano Venudo, scientific director of the agreement.

‘The Academy must be at the service of the region, creating mutual benefit and exchange. The project is not only an example of the multidisciplinary nature of our Department, but also testifies to the importance of rediscovering the past in order to design the future. This is particularly true for architecture, which is always a reflection of the level of awareness of society,’ said Paolo Gallina, Director of the Department of Engineering and Architecture at UniTS.

‘Administrators are well aware of the formal plan of architecture. We perform our role as architects by looking to the future but with a “rear-view mirror”, thus protecting documents and using them as a source of inspiration,’ added Thomas Bisiani, who works alongside Venudo as the project's scientific director.

The details of the collaboration were presented together with Michele Babuder, Councillor for Local Policies of the Municipality of Trieste, and Eddi Dalla Betta, Director of the Local Planning Service.

From 20th to 24th October, the University of Trieste participated in the T4EU Strategic Assembly organised at Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas (Lithuania).

For five days, Kaunas hosted institutional meetings, conferences, workshops, cultural activities and discussions between students, teachers, representatives of the Alliance's European partner universities, companies and entrepreneurs. The opening ceremony was attended by the President of the Republic of Lithuania and the former President of the Republic of Finland.

In parallel, Kaunas hosted the T4EU Week entitled ‘TransformEd: Renaissance of Liberal Arts’, a week of learning aimed at Alliance students, who were able to explore a range of different and complex topics at the crossroads between innovation and tradition over these five days.

Our university took part in the initiative with its largest ever delegation, consisting of 12 students, 14 representatives of the technical and administrative staff and 8 lecturers.

For the first time, the Rector, Donata Vianelli, participated together with her colleagues, Elisabetta De Giorgi, Delegate for International Relations and Mobility, and Alberto Pallavicini, UniTS point of contact for the T4EU Alliance.

Also participating were the Delegate for Development Cooperation, Roberta Altin, and Tullia Catalan, scientific leaders of Work Package 7 ‘T4EU Common Heritage and Multilingualism’, of which the University is the lead partner.

The T4EU Strategic Assembly was divided into training and thematic courses dedicated to students, PhD students, administrative and academic staff, accompanied by cultural and recreational activities with ample space for networking initiatives, cultural meetings and experiential workshops, with the aim of promoting dialogue and collaboration between the Alliance's universities.

The Rector commented: ‘Participation in the Transform4Europe Executive Board Meeting in Kaunas was fundamental for sharing, at a strategic level, the opportunities for collaboration between the universities of the European Alliance, their enhancement and future development.

The value that the Alliance has created in recent years has benefited thousands of students across Europe and enriched UniTS course catalogue.’

Participation in the T4EU Strategic Assembly is part of UniTS's efforts to strengthen international collaborations and of its commitment to the Transform4Europe Alliance, which promotes a European university model based on innovation, sustainability and active citizenship.

A group of researchers at the University of Trieste has developed an innovative, rapid and inexpensive diagnostic method that uses low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) to analyse the properties of sputum and provide a reliable indicator of lung function and inflammation, highlighting any pathological alterations. 

The test developed by the researchers could be particularly useful for patients with chronic productive lung diseases, such as cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), characterised by the production of viscous mucus that is difficult to eliminate. It could also be helpful in the management of asthma. 

The sputum sample, taken from the patient, is analysed using low-field nuclear magnetic resonance technology, which returns the result in a few minutes. The test, unique in its kind, evaluates the behaviour of hydrogen atoms in the in the water contained in sputum and translates the signal into clinically relevant parameters, such as viscosity, elasticity, solid content and polymer network structure. These data are closely related to the patient's clinical status and can support the physician in therapeutic decisions. 

Mario Grassi, full professor of Foundations of Chemical Engineering at the Department of Engineering and Architecture of the University of Trieste, and Michela Abrami of the same department, explain: 'The idea of applying low-field nuclear magnetic resonance to the study of sputum arose from an interdisciplinary reflection: the technology, already widely used in quality control in the food industry, has proven to be an economical, transportable tool that can be easily integrated into clinical practice. The test is rapid, repeatable, non-invasive, does not require highly specialised personnel and can be performed during an outpatient visit.’

Low-field magnetic resonance imaging (LF-NMR) is a technology that uses low-intensity magnetic fields to analyse the properties of materials, such as biological tissues, quickly and non-invasively. Unlike traditional high-field magnetic resonance imaging, low-field instruments are more compact, economical and easy to use even in non-hospital settings.

Gabriele Grassi, full professor of Clinical Biochemistry and Clinical Molecular Biology at the University Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences at the University of Trieste, comments: ‘The new method represents a step forward in the diagnosis and monitoring of respiratory diseases. With the aim of continuously improving patients' quality of life and optimising therapeutic strategies, we are also implementing specific software (SOFT NMR), which is currently under development. The clinical centres involved are participating with us in the discussion of the results, in light of the patients' clinical history, and in the implementation of experimental campaigns in response to the clinical questions that arise from time to time, with the ultimate goal of making our conclusions increasingly robust.’

Sputum samples are provided by the Burlo Garofolo Research Hospital in Trieste, the Pulmonology Unit of the Cattinara Hospital (Trieste), the Radiology Unit of the Ca' Foncello Hospital in Treviso and the Department of Radiology of the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam. 

The project partners also include PROTOS, a non-profit research centre based in Trieste, active in the field of biopolymers, medical devices and in vitro diagnostics. 

The project is funded by the PRIN (Projects of National Interest – Ref. 2022K4Y33B) and by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region for the support of projects for the validation of innovative ideas and technologies that aim to achieve a TRL 6, 7 or 8 [Article 7(56-61) of Regional Law No 22/2022].

At the 40th Annual Conference of the Italian Association of Constitutionalists (AIC), dedicated to the theme ‘The European Union compared with the Constitution of the Italian Republic’, the AIC awarded Andrea Conzutti the 2025 ‘Opera prima – Sergio P. Panunzio’ National Award for the best first monographic work on constitutional law.

The judging panel, composed of the Association's President Renato Balduzzi, Vice-President Lucia Scaffardi and Giorgio Repetto, awarded the prize to his book ‘Il governo della moneta nella prospettiva del diritto costituzionale’ (the governance of currency from a constitutional law perspective) (Giappichelli, Turin, 2024).

More than thirty years after the Maastricht Treaty (1992), which marked the advent of economic and monetary union, the volume addresses the issue of tensions between monetary power, exercised by the European Central Bank with full independence, and the democratic principle, in its representative dimension. 

Andrea Conzutti obtained his inter-university PhD from Trieste/Udine in ‘Law for Innovation in the European Legal Space’ under the scientific supervision of IUSLIT professors Gian Paolo Dolso and Paolo Giangaspero. He is currently a research assistant in the same department and a teaching fellow at the Department of Economics, Business, Mathematics and Statistics and at the Department of Humanities.

Sea warming, together with environmental changes caused by human activities, is causing a progressive decline in seagrass meadows in the northern Adriatic Sea. This is demonstrated by a new study recently published in the journal Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. The research shows that the seagrass beds of Posidonia oceanica, Cymodocea nodosa and other marine plants, which are vital for biodiversity, coastal stability and carbon storage, are at risk from a variety of factors.

The study, coordinated by the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS), involved an international group of researchers from the Miramare Marine Protected Area, the University of Trieste, the National Institute of Biology of Slovenia (NIB) and the University of Maribor (Slovenia). It highlighted how environmental change and sea warming contribute significantly to the decline of seagrass beds, particularly Cymodocea nodosa, in the coastal areas of the northern Adriatic. 

The analysis focused mainly on the Slovenian and Italian coasts of the Gulf of Trieste and used an integrated approach of field monitoring and statistical analysis to assess the relationship between anthropogenic pressure and marine vegetation response. The relationship between seagrass dynamics and environmental variations was studied by analysing the spatiotemporal patterns of environmental variables and applying mathematical models referring to two distinct time intervals: 2009-2013 and 2014-2018.

The study shows that the decline of seagrass beds in the gulf is caused by both impacts at the local level (pollution, urbanisation, hydrological alterations) and global climatic stresses (marine warming).

In the northern Adriatic, Cymodocea nodosa is the dominant species, while Posidonia oceanica and several species of Zostera show a much more fragmented distribution, often reduced to small isolated areas.

‘The results indicate that Cymodocea nodosa is still present in the Gulf, particularly along the coast from Monfalcone to the mouth of the Tagliamento, but in the period 2014-2018 there was a 30% regression in Slovenian waters and up to 89% along the coast near Trieste,’ explains Vinko Bandelj, oceanographer at OGS, adding that ‘analysis of physical and chemical variables revealed an increase in sea water temperature throughout the Gulf and a variation in nutrient load, with a particularly significant reduction in Slovenian waters’.

The group of researchers identified light in the water column, nutrient availability, temperature and sediment type as the main determinants of marine plant presence. However, other local factors, such as coastal anthropogenic interventions and urbanisation, have most likely also contributed to reducing the resilience of these species to environmental disturbances.

The conservation of these habitats is considered essential for mitigating climate change and safeguarding marine biodiversity in the Mediterranean. To achieve this goal, the study highlights the need to develop integrated spatial planning strategies, including the reduction of local anthropogenic pressures, the protection of less degraded coastal areas and the long-term monitoring of climatic and biological parameters. Although large-scale studies are useful for predicting the impact of climate change, local investigations, such as the one carried out in this study, remain equally essential for developing targeted conservation strategies.

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Federico Becca, associate professor in Condensed Matter Theory at the Physics Department of the University of Trieste, has been nominated Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS), through the Division of Condensed Matter Physics.

The APS Fellowship Program was created to recognize members who have made advances in physics through original research, making outstanding contributions in the field. In particular, Federico Becca has been selected for his ``fundamental contributions to the understanding of strongly correlated systems, including spin liquid states and doped Mott superconductors, and for developments in variational quantum Monte Carlo methods''. 

The number of recommended nominees in each year may not exceed one-half percent of the current membership of the Society, excluding student members. This recognition by the American Physical Society underscores Professor Becca's achievements as a world-renowned leading scientist in the field. The fact that very few Fellows are affiliated outside the U.S. further reinforces the significance of this honor.

In 2022, the University of Trieste and the Italian league for the fight against cancer (LILT) signed a three-year memorandum of understanding to promote cancer prevention and healthy lifestyles among students, university staff and citizens.

The agreement, renewed by Rector Donata Vianelli and LILT President Francesco Schittulli, stems from a shared desire to develop joint initiatives in the fields of research, training, information and awareness-raising on health and cancer prevention issues, especially by promoting a culture of health care among young people.

In particular, the two institutions will collaborate to:

•   implement educational programmes and projects aimed at promoting primary, secondary and tertiary cancer prevention;

•   organise training events, conferences, information campaigns and educational materials;

•   encourage the active participation of the University community in awareness-raising initiatives and promote a culture of health among the younger generation;

•   support university master degrees, calls for proposals and research projects dedicated to prevention issues, with the patronage of LILT.

The coordination of activities will be entrusted to a Joint Committee composed of representatives from both institutions, which will periodically evaluate the results and prospects for collaboration.

The University will implement the initiatives mainly through the Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences.

With this agreement, the University of Trieste and LILT are strengthening their joint commitment to promoting cancer prevention as a cultural and social value, focusing on people's well-being and the dissemination of scientific and supportive awareness.

As part of the international Pink October and Blue November campaigns, two joint events are already underway at UniTS to raise awareness of women's and men's health issues, with particular reference to cancer prevention: on  Wednesday 29th October 2025, ‘Breast cancer and young people: understanding the risk and protecting the future’ and on Monday 10th November 2025, 'Movember UniTs: focusing on men's health'. More information will be available shortly on UniTS website (www.units.it).