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.

Read the article

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). 

Sixty-five UniTS researchers appear in the latest annual survey, ‘World's 2% Top Scientists,’ compiled by Stanford University in collaboration with the publisher Elsevier. The ranking, which considers a total of approximately 9 million scholars included in the Scopus database in 2024, identifies the most cited scientific researchers in the world, including 22 scientific fields and 174 subfields according to the standard Science-Metrix classification.

Let's take a closer look at the ranking.

The list for the “single year 2024” includes 19 UniTS researchers in the top 100,000.

The overall value of the University is constantly growing compared to previous years: in 2023 there were 13 researchers, in 2024 there were 16.

The calculation that takes into account the entire duration of researchers' careers is slightly different. In this case, the long-career list includes 15 professors and researchers affiliated with the University of Trieste among the top 100,000, a number that rises to a total of 65 UniTS scholars among the top 500,000.

These are the UniTS names mentioned in the ranking for “single year 2024” (researchers among the top 100,000 in the world are in bold) and/or in the long-career list:

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

DEAMS: Giuseppe Borruso

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

Sixty-five UniTS researchers appear in the latest annual survey, ‘World's 2% Top Scientists,’ compiled by Stanford University in collaboration with the publisher Elsevier. The ranking, which considers a total of approximately 9 million scholars included in the Scopus database in 2024, identifies the most cited scientific researchers in the world, including 22 scientific fields and 174 subfields according to the standard Science-Metrix classification.

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

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

DSM: Rocco Barazzoni, Michele Bertolotto, Gianni Biolo, Paolo Boscolo Rizzo, Rossana Bussani, Milena Cadenaro, Luca Cegolon, Marco Confalonieri, Adamo Pio D'Adamo, Mario D'Oria, Stefano D'Errico, Stefano di Bella, Giacomo Emmi, Paolo Gasparini, Daniele Generali, Francesca Larese Filon, Paolo Manganotti, Marco Merlo, Giuseppe Ricci, Gianfranco Sinagra, Claudio Stacchi, Giancarlo Tirelli, Iris Zalaudek

MiGe: Giovanni Alessandrini, Luca Bortolussi, Alberto D'Onofrio, Stefano Parolai, Alex Rodríguez

Among the Emeritus, Honorary or UniTS-affiliated professors included in the ranking are Maurizio Prato, Igor Marchetti, Francesca Matteucci, Massimo Bovenzi, Gianni Sava and Fulvio Parmigiani.

 “Internationally competitive research activities can only be based on a strong focus on investment in research infrastructure. In this regard, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region which, in synergy with the strategic vision of the University of Trieste, has invested heavily in the modernisation and implementation of new scientific instruments, particularly in the fields of quantum physics, biomedicine, alternative fuels and decarbonisation," commented the Vice-Rector for Research, Paolo Fornasiero.

The complete ranking can be viewed here August 2025 data update for ‘Updated science-wide author databases of standardised citation indicators’ - Elsevier BV

History in the City, a series of university lectures open to the public organised by the Regional Institute for the History of the Resistance and Contemporary Age in Friuli Venezia Giulia (Irsrec FVG) in partnership with UniTS Department of Political and Social Sciences, returns from Wednesday 22th October at the Museo civico Sartorio in Largo Papa Giovanni XXIII No 1, Trieste.

The lectures will continue until 17th December.

All meetings will be held from 18:00 to 19:00 in Sala Costantinides, as well as live Zoom https://shorturl.at/ECSXD

The Organising Committee is composed of Giulia Caccamo, Patrick Karlsen, Gabriele Mastrolillo and Raoul Pupo.

The first event on the programme will feature Patrick Karlsen (University of Trieste – Irsrec FVG) on the theme ‘Who betrayed Luigi Frausin? The lie of “Slavic Delation” in Cold War Trieste’.

The 2025 edition, entitled ‘A Story of Lies. Fake news in the contemporary age’, investigates the role of lies, disinformation and propaganda in contemporary history. 
The common thread between the various events is fake news as tools of power, control and collective manipulation. The topics covered during the conferences will range from the political and military events of the twentieth century to the most recent dynamics of communication that affect the phenomenon of climate denialism. The meetings will seek to demonstrate how fake news has always shaped public opinion, legitimising regimes, nurturing stereotypes and justifying political choices.

The exhibition, organised by Irsrec and UniTS since 2013, has always been a great success for the public. The aim of the initiative, since its inception, has been to transfer part of its teaching activity off campus and, together with other prestigious scientific institutions in the city, to organise open, accessible and rigorous debates on different themes of contemporary history. Meetings with historians who combine rigor and clarity, designed to share up-to-date knowledge, feed public discussion and bring research, school and community closer together.

Programme

22th October, Patrick Karlsen (University of Trieste – Irsrec FVG): Who betrayed Luigi Frausin? The Lie of ‘Slavic Delation’ in Cold War Trieste

30th October, Mirco Carrattieri (Liberation Route Italy): ‘The order has already been executed’. The Resistance and False News

5th November, Giuseppe Ieraci (University of Trieste): Trilussa's chicken. Data manipulation and interpretation in politics

13th November, Raoul Pupo (University of Trieste – Irsrec FVG): The ‘Crippled Victory’

19th November, Gustavo Corni (University of Trento): The Reichstag fire in Berlin, 1933. An unresolved political mystery?

26th November, Silvia Inaudi (University of Trieste – Irsrec FVG): Did Mussolini do good things? The social policies of fascism between propaganda and reality

3rd December, Tullia Catalan (University of Trieste): The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and Their Contribution to the Spread of Antisemitism from the Twentieth Century to the Present

10th December, Antonella Salomoni (Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna): Katyn’ – A State Lie

17th December, Giovanni Carrosio (University of Trieste): Climate denial: history, controversies and logic of a socio-political phenomenon

Teachers will be issued with a certificate of participation at the end of each meeting.

The Institute is recognised by the Italian Ministry of Education and Merit as an accredited training agency.[1]

[1] The Regional Institute for the History of the Resistance and Contemporary Age in Friuli Venezia Giulia is part of the network of institutes associated with the Ferruccio Parri National Institute (formerly Insmli). It has obtained recognition as an accredited training agency by the Italian Ministry of Education and Merit, by Ministerial Decree of 25 May 2001, ref. 802 of 19 June 2001, renewed by Decree No 10962 of 8 June 2005. Accreditation is carried out in accordance with Directive 170/2016 with approval of 1 December 2016 of request No 872 and is included in the list of accredited bodies.

When it comes to cardiac arrest, every second counts, and it is the speed with which cardiopulmonary resuscitation is started that makes the real difference, not so much who performs it. This is what emerges from an important study presented at the ESC Acute CardioVascular Care 2025 congress.

The research is the result of the work of a team coordinated by Prof. Aneta Aleksova, cardiologist and lecturer at the Department of Medical Sciences of the University of Trieste and the local health authority (ASUGI). The study group is an integral part of the Department of Cardiology, headed by Prof. Gianfranco Sinagra, and included the contribution of Dr Alessandra Lucia Fluca, research assistant at the Department of Medicine of the University of Trieste, and Dr Andrea Perkan, interventional cardiologist at the Department of Cardiology.

The study analysed 21 years of data (from 2003 to 2024) on 3,315 patients who had suffered a ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), a particularly serious form of heart attack in which a major coronary artery is completely blocked, preventing blood flow to part of the heart. Among these patients, 172 suffered out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and 44 of them received cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) from bystanders.

Urgent response is crucial 

The results are clear: every 5 minutes of delay in the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) increases the risk of death in hospital by 38%. Even a slight reduction in left ventricular ejection fraction (an indicator of heart function) or increased age is associated with a significant increase in mortality.

'We observed that, regardless of whether cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed by a professional rescuer or a bystander, the determining factor was the speed with which resuscitation was started,' explains Prof. Aleksova, emphasising the value of active prevention. ‘It is essential to raise awareness among the population and promote CPR and defibrillator training courses. Even imperfect intervention, if timely, can save a life. It is better to act immediately than to wait for help without doing anything.’

A positive trend, but still insufficient

The study shows a clear improvement over time: the percentage of CPR performed by bystanders rose from 26% in the period 2003-2007 to 69% in the four-year period 2020-2024. However, considering that about 80% of cardiac arrests occur at home, public involvement remains crucial.

Although the average ROSC times are longer for interventions by bystanders (20 minutes compared to 5 minutes in cases handled by healthcare professionals), the chances of long-term survival do not differ. This suggests that even intervention by ordinary people, provided it is timely, can have a life-saving impact comparable to that of professionals.

A call for public training

The survey also reports that those who receive CPR from bystanders are more frequently subjected to endotracheal intubation (91% versus 65%), indicating more intensive clinical management. But the key factor remains time. All other factors being equal, prompt intervention can mean the difference between life and death.

The study relaunches a simple but urgent message: training more people in basic life support (BLS) techniques is a public health priority. Because every minute counts. And anyone, with the right training, can make a difference.

Rector Donata Vianelli, together with a delegation comprising Professors Giorgio Sulligoi, Giovanni Longo, Alberto Bartoli, Guido Bortoluzzi and Erik Vesselli, visited HHLA PLT Italy, the southernmost strategic hub of Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA).

HHLA PLT is one of Europe’s leading logistics and transport operators, headquartered in Hamburg.

The meeting highlighted the growing collaboration between the academic and port sectors, united by a common goal: to promote technology transfer, digital innovation and sustainable logistics.

The delegation explored the operations and infrastructure of the HHLA PLT terminal, while also discussing future development prospects linked to the Molo VIII project - a strategic site within the Port of Trieste and a key intermodal hub connecting maritime, rail and road networks across Europe.

“Building bridges between research and operations is essential to foster innovation and competitiveness in the port sector,” said Antonio Barbara, CEO of HHLA PLT Italy.

“UniTS is interested in partnerships that allow the development, together with major industrial players, of research projects and activities capable of making a concrete contribution to the growth of the region,” added Vianelli.