The University of Trieste at IEEE International Conference on Communications (ICC) 2026 in Glasgow, the world’s leading conference in the field of telecommunications. Representing the University was Fulvio Babich, professor at the Department of Engineering and Architecture, who served as Leading Co-Chair of the Communication Theory Symposium, one of the conference’s most significant scientific tracks.

The conference brought together researchers, industry experts, and representatives of the world’s leading technology companies to discuss the future of digital communications, with a particular focus on the development of 6G networks, artificial intelligence, and the sustainability of telecommunications infrastructures.

Reporting from Glasgow, Prof. Babich noted that the international debate is currently focused on the need for a new generation of mobile networks capable of addressing the profound changes brought about by artificial intelligence.

“The prevailing consensus within both the scientific and industrial communities is that the evolution toward 6G is now appropriate, if not urgent, in light of the extremely rapid development of artificial intelligence,” he explained. “Current forecasts indicate that a first version of the standard could become available between 2029 and 2030.”

One of the most widely discussed topics at the conference was the growth in data traffic generated by new AI-based applications. Autonomous systems, intelligent agents, augmented reality, and wearable devices are profoundly reshaping network requirements, calling for new architectures capable of delivering greater capacity and efficiency.

Among the most promising innovations presented in Glasgow was the Token Communication paradigm, which is expected to complement traditional bit-based transmission models “Token Communication represents a highly significant paradigm shift,” observed Prof. Babich. “The goal is no longer to transmit large quantities of data, but rather to efficiently transfer the semantic content of information. This approach can reduce network traffic, improve energy efficiency, and contribute to the environmental sustainability of future digital infrastructures.”

Considerable attention was also devoted to integrated terrestrial–air–space networks, regarded as one of the key components of the future 6G ecosystem. Alongside the growing deployment of low-Earth-orbit satellite constellations, the scientific community is increasingly interested in High-Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS), which can provide connectivity over wide areas while offering lower energy consumption and reduced latency.

“Stratospheric platforms could play an increasingly important role in future communication architectures,” Babich emphasized. “Compared with traditional satellite systems, they offer significant advantages in terms of regional coverage, energy efficiency, and the ability to maintain and upgrade infrastructure.”

Prof. Babich’s participation in IEEE ICC 2026 highlights the contribution of the University of Trieste to international telecommunications research and confirms the University’s role in advancing the technologies that will shape the networks of the future.

Photo caption: Chedlia Ben Naila (Optical Networks and Systems Co-Chair, Polytechnic University of Catalonia), Fulvio Babich, Nam Tran (Wireless Communications Co-Chair, University of Dublin), and Muhammad Ali Imran (Executive Co-Chair, University of Glasgow).

The University of Trieste hosted the project meeting of the Interreg Italy–Croatia project MareSkill, bringing together project partners to plan the final activities ahead of the project’s completion in September 2026.

Activities continued with a study visit organized within the framework of the MareSkill and DIH Innovamare projects. The event involved project partners, students, early-career researchers and professionals working in the blue economy sector from both Italy and Croatia.

The study visit focused on innovation, sustainability and skills development for the blue economy in the Adriatic area. Both projects represent important examples of cross-border cooperation: DIH Innovamare supports the digital and technological transformation of the maritime sector through the involvement of companies, research centres and public institutions, while MareSkill promotes the development of new professional skills in the fields of boating, logistics and the wider blue economy, with particular attention to the challenges posed by the green and digital transitions.

The initiative also provided an important opportunity to strengthen collaboration between the University and the regional economic ecosystem. Organized with the contribution of the University of Trieste and Unioncamere del Veneto, in cooperation with Mare Tech FVG, the study visit enabled participants to gain first-hand insight into some of the most significant maritime and industrial realities of the region.

The programme included visits to the Port of Monfalcone, a strategic hub for logistics and maritime traffic in the Northern Adriatic, and to the production facilities of Groupe Beneteau Italia, an internationally recognized leader in the recreational boating industry. The visits offered participants a valuable opportunity to explore innovation processes shaping the sector and to foster dialogue between academia, research institutions and industry.

Representatives of the Municipality of Monfalcone also took part in the event, presenting local development strategies and growth opportunities linked to the blue economy, while highlighting the area's role as a hub for innovation and competitiveness within the Adriatic maritime sector.

The initiative confirmed the University of Trieste’s role as a key player in research, education and innovation in the maritime field. Through its participation in European projects and its collaboration with companies, institutions and regional stakeholders, the University contributes to the development of advanced skills and the creation of networks that support sustainable growth and competitiveness across the Adriatic region.

Photo: Participants in the project meeting and study visit organized within the Interreg Italy–Croatia projects MareSkill and DIH Innovamare, hosted by the University of Trieste in collaboration with institutional and industrial partners from the region.

The enlargement of the European Union to the Western Balkans, the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), the growing strategic importance of the Arctic, and the Euro–Adriatic–Ionian geopolitical arena of consular diplomacy are among the key themes of the 2026 edition of GeoAdriatico (www.geoadriatico.it), the international geopolitics symposium taking place in Trieste from 11 to 14 June.

Organized by the Cinzia Vitale Initiative for Culture (www.vitaleinitiative.it) in partnership with the University of Trieste, GeoAdriatico will also explore topics related to cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, the G20 as a platform for cooperation on transport, port infrastructure and maritime affairs, as well as issues concerning the protection of the planet.

“GeoAdriatico embodies the international and multidisciplinary vocation of the University of Trieste. The major challenges of our time cannot be addressed within the boundaries of a single discipline. They require the integrated contribution of the social, economic, legal, technological and environmental sciences. In this context, our University provides a network of internationally recognized expertise, helping to make Trieste a privileged laboratory for dialogue among diplomacy, scientific research and economic development. It is precisely through collaboration among fields of knowledge, institutions and scientific communities that the most effective responses to the global challenges of the present and the future can emerge,” said Mauro Tretiach, Deputy Rector of the University of Trieste.

“In a global scenario marked by conflicts currently involving more than ninety countries around the world,” stated Roberto Vitale, President of GeoAdriatico and of the Vitale Initiative, which conceived the international symposium, “international diplomacy is more essential than ever in building peace. This active commitment to dialogue and cooperation represents the beating heart and primary mission of the symposium, reinforcing Trieste’s central position within the new global geopolitical landscape.”

GeoAdriatico enjoys the patronage, among others, of the Italian Senate, the Chamber of Deputies, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Ministry of University and Research, the Ministry of Defence, the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, and the collaboration of the European Commission Representation in Italy.

Among the speakers confirmed for the 2026 edition of GeoAdriatico are Ambassador Francesco Maria Talò, Special Envoy for IMEC at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; Admiral Pierpaolo Ribuffo, Head of the Department for Maritime Policies at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers; Ambassador Giorgio Marrapodi, Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations; Marco Alberti, Italian Ambassador to Albania; Marcelo Knobel, Executive Director of TWAS (The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World); Paolo Trichilo, Italian Ambassador to Croatia; Andrea Romanino, Director of SISSA (International School for Advanced Studies); and Luca Gori, Italian Ambassador to Serbia.

The opening ceremony of GeoAdriatico, scheduled for Thursday, 11 June at 9:30 a.m. in the representative hall of the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia and reserved for invited guests, will also feature contributions from Marco Consalvo, President of the Port Authority of the Eastern Adriatic Sea; Vincenzo Garofolo, Commissioner of the Port Authority of the Central Adriatic Sea; Carmelo Barbarello, IMEC Coordinator at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; Francesco Benevolo, President of the Port Authority of the Central Northern Adriatic Sea; Massimo Campailla, Professor of Maritime and Transport Law at the University of Trieste; Paola Del Negro, Director General of the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS); and Dario Giacomin, Vice President for Underwater Product Development at Fincantieri.

Among the more than 70 participants representing over 10 countries are Stefano Pilotto, Professor of International Relations at MIB Trieste School of Management; Antonio Paoletti, President of the Venezia Giulia Chamber of Commerce; Roberto Musneci, President of the Italian Chamber of Commerce for Romania; Alessandro Lombardi, Head of CEI (Central European Initiative) Projects; Giuseppe Mancini, Vice President for Intelligence and International Security at Leonardo; Antonio Gurrieri, CEO of Alpe Adria; Nicola Polato, Head of North-East Italy at SIMEST; Pasquale Silvestro, Vice President of the Italian Chamber of Commerce for Romania; Gabriele Bellon, General Director of BCC Venezia Giulia; Daniel Burcea, Director of Banca Transilvania’s Italian branch; Paul Vatamanu, CEO of Vatamanu Coperture; Francesco Caputo, HR Director of Prysmian Romania; Gianluca Meomartini, Vice President of Sales at Bitdefender; Claudio Taboga, General Manager of Vard Shipyards Romania (Fincantieri); and Maria Teresa Tombini, Senior Advisor for Group International Public Affairs at Assicurazioni Generali. They will participate in the panel on economics, science diplomacy and cybersecurity taking place on Thursday, 11 June, at 2:30 p.m. in the main hall of the Venezia Giulia Chamber of Commerce.

GeoAdriatico, which benefits from the media partnership of the ANSA news agency, will also feature Brigadier General Carlo Di Somma, President of the Joint Armed Forces Steering Committee for the Arctic, Sub-Arctic and Antarctic Environment at the Ministry of Defence; Fausto Ferraccioli, Director of the Geophysics Section of OGS; Luigi Matarazzo, General Director of Fincantieri’s Merchant Ships Division; Fabrizio Orengo, Director of the Italian Navy Hydrographic Institute; Giuliana Panieri, Director of the Institute of Polar Sciences of the National Research Council (CNR); and Stefano Polli, columnist for ANSA.

On Friday, 12 June, at 9:30 a.m. in the representative hall of MIB Trieste School of Management, a session dedicated to the enlargement of the European Union to the Western Balkans will take place. Following opening remarks by Maria Tripodi, Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, speakers will include Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata, Chair of the Senate Committee on European Union Policies; Franco Dal Mas, Secretary General of the Central European Initiative; Anila Bitri Lani, Ambassador of Albania to Italy; Mauro D’Ubaldi, Deputy Secretary General of Defence; Andreina Marsella, Italian Ambassador to Montenegro; Elisabetta Dovier, Programme Manager at the Central European Initiative; Senator Tatjana Rojc, member of the Senate Committee on EU Policies; Francesco Deana, Professor of European Union Law at the University of Udine; and Andrea Tracogna, Dean of MIB Trieste School of Management and Professor of Business Administration at the University of Trieste.

On Friday, 12 June, at 4:00 p.m., in the Desiata Red Hall of the Venezia Giulia Chamber of Commerce, a partner of GeoAdriatico, discussions will focus on Space in the Age of Invisible Conflicts. Speakers will include Anna Gregorio Michelazzi, astrophysicist at the University of Trieste; Beatrice Manassero, from the Space and Scientific Cooperation Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; Fabrizio Rovatti, Project Manager at Area Science Park; Carlo Baccigalupi, Professor of Cosmology at SISSA; Federico Battera, Professor of African History and Institutions at the University of Trieste; Massimo Comparini, Director of Leonardo’s Space Division; Valter Bonvicini, Director of the Trieste Section of the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN); Guido Bortoluzzi, Professor of Strategy and Organization at MIB Trieste School of Management; and Andrea Vacchi, Professor of Physics at the University of Udine.

GeoAdriatico 2026 will also host a panel dedicated to students of the Sustainable Blue Growth Master’s Programme, directed by Mounir Ghribi. The students themselves will serve as speakers on Saturday, 13 June, at 9:30 a.m. in the Red Hall of the Port Authority of the Eastern Adriatic Sea, addressing topics related to the sea as an essential element for the future of societies. They will be joined by Steve Taylor, Coordinator of the North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley project, and Rodolfo Taccani, Professor of Energy Systems at the University of Trieste.

Finally, on Saturday, 13 June, at 10:00 a.m., in the representative hall of the General Secretariat of the Central European Initiative (CEI), a discussion will focus on the new Euro–Adriatic–Ionian geopolitical framework, with the participation of Marco Ferruzzi Balbi, Consul of the Republic of Poland; Massimiliano Fabian, Consul of the Republic of Cameroon; Agnese Ghersi, Consul of the Republic of France; Adina Lovin, Consul General of Romania; Sabrina Strolego, Consul of the Republic of Austria; and Lucia Montesanti, Professor of Sociology of Political Phenomena at the Magna Graecia University.

Giovanni Comelli, Full Professor of Experimental Physics of Matter and Applications at University of Trieste, is the new Chairman of the Board of Directors of Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., the non-profit company of national interest that manages one of the world’s most advanced research infrastructures based on the use of synchrotron light and free-electron lasers for the characterization and development of new materials, biomaterials, pharmaceuticals, and chemical and biochemical processes.

A deep expert on Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., Prof. Comelli is the author of more than 250 scientific publications and is actively involved in numerous national and European research programs and scientific infrastructures. He served on Elettra’s Board of Directors from 2005 to 2014, also holding the position of Vice Chairman from 2006 to 2014, and was again appointed board member from 2023 to 2026. Throughout his career, he has also held numerous positions of scientific and organizational responsibility at both national and international levels, including Director of the Department of Physics at the University of Trieste and member of scientific evaluation and advisory bodies promoted by Italian and European institutions.

The second edition of the “Administrative Moot Court: A Training Ground for Justice” has come to an end. The initiative offers UniTS Law students a fully immersive experience in applied administrative law. The aim of the project — which, starting from the next academic year, will become an independent program separate from the Administrative Law chair — is to provide students with the key skills needed for drafting procedural documents, preparing future professionals for the challenges of real courtrooms.

“The project has grown stronger thanks also to the interinstitutional collaboration between UniTS and the leading figures of the administrative judiciary. I would especially like to thank the President of the Regional Administrative Court of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Counsel Avv. Carlo Modica de Mohac di Grisì, Judge Dr. Manuela Sinigoi, and the Secretary General of the Court, Dr. Paola Barzanti,” emphasized Edoardo N. Fragale, lecturer in Administrative Law and creator of the laboratory.

This year once again, the initiative recorded significant participation: 60 students attended the seminar led by Manuela Sinigoi, focused on the functioning of the Court and the analysis of specific cases. Participants then had the opportunity to observe firsthand the discussion of real appeals during the public hearing held last May 6 at the headquarters of the Regional Administrative Court. The laboratory concluded in the University’s Bachelet classroom, where 27 participants competed in an actual moot competition (a simulated trial), taking on the roles of judges and legal counsels for the different parties.

This high-level educational experience aims to bridge the gap between university textbooks and the workings of the judicial system.

The 2027 National University Championships (CNU) will take place in Friuli Venezia Giulia thanks to the joint project submitted by the University Sports Centers (CUS) of Trieste and Udine. The event was awarded by the Federal Council of FederCUSI – the Italian University Sports Federation – following an evaluation process in which the bid from the CUS organizations of our region competed against that of CUS Turin. The project promoted by the CUS of Trieste and Udine was developed in collaboration with the regional CONI committee and the Universities of Trieste and Udine, and received strong support from the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region.

The first steps toward 2027

The Championships will take place between late spring and early summer next year. The main hub of the event will be the Bella Italia Efa Village in Lignano Sabbiadoro (Udine), one of the most important sports accommodation facilities in northeastern Italy. It was selected by the two CUS organizations due to its proven experience in hosting events involving thousands of participants, including student-athletes, technical staff, and accompanying personnel. The various sports disciplines included in the program will take place in facilities located in Lignano Sabbiadoro, Trieste, Udine, and other locations across the region, selected according to the specific needs of each sport. In this regard, the contribution of local authorities, associations, and representatives of the regional sports movement will be essential in supporting the event.

The Championships will feature an especially wide range of optional sports in addition to the mandatory disciplines. The goal is to enhance the unique characteristics of the territory and the region’s sporting vocation by introducing, for the first time within the framework of the CNU, competitions dedicated to Paralympic disciplines as well. The organizers aim to create inclusive National University Championships open to all Italian university students.

Comments

“The awarding of the 2027 National University Championships to Friuli Venezia Giulia,” stated the President of the Region, Massimiliano Fedriga, “is a highly significant achievement and a source of pride for the entire region. Hosting an event of this scale, centered at the Bella Italia Efa Village in Lignano Sabbiadoro, confirms the quality of our facilities and the territory’s ability to work together as a system. I would like to thank the University Sports Centers of the Universities of Trieste and Udine and CONI Friuli Venezia Giulia for the work carried out with commitment, passion, expertise, and vision. The Championships will represent a major opportunity to promote the entire Friuli Venezia Giulia region and the values of sport, inclusion, and youth participation.”

“This is a historic result for our territory and for the regional university sports movement,” explained Michele Pipan, President of CUS Trieste. “The 2027 National University Championships will be a great celebration of sport, but also an opportunity to showcase the quality of our universities, our Region, and a sports system capable of working together as a team.”

“Trieste and Udine are joining forces for an event of national importance,” emphasized Gian Luca Bianchi, President of CUS Udine, “thanks to a broad institutional and technical network that made it possible to build a solid proposal from an organizational, sporting, and logistical perspective. The collaboration between the CUS organizations, universities, and institutions is the key to a project that aims to leave a lasting legacy for university sports and for the entire regional territory.”

“The National University Championships represent far more than a sporting competition: they are unique and unrepeatable opportunities to connect students, universities, territories, and institutions through sharing, inclusion, and collective growth,” stated Donata Vianelli, Rector of the University of Trieste. “The University of Trieste believed from the very beginning in the value of a joint bid developed together with Udine, because dialogue and collaboration between different realities are an integral part of our identity. This event will be an extraordinary opportunity to promote Friuli Venezia Giulia both within and beyond the academic world.”

“Together we win. The awarding of next year’s National University Championships to the university sports centers of Trieste and Udine — and therefore to the Friuli Venezia Giulia territory — proves it,” stressed Angelo Montanari, Rector of the University of Udine. “Sport and university study must become an increasingly close combination for our students, because together they improve performance in both areas and promote a healthier and more conscious lifestyle. Thanks to the high standards demonstrated by students from the region’s universities in both academics and sports, Friuli Venezia Giulia can aspire to become a national benchmark, starting with the 2027 Championships.”

“Friuli Venezia Giulia proves once again that it is truly a home of sport,” stated Andrea Marcon, President of CONI FVG. “Hosting an event of this scale by combining the organizational capabilities of our two most important universities is clear recognition of the quality of our territory and a demonstration of the attention and care that regional sports dedicate to major sporting events. Congratulations to the CUS organizations of Trieste and Udine for securing this event. Once again, Friuli Venezia Giulia — characterized by wonderful local differences capable of coming together as a team — expresses an extraordinary, winning, and explosive strength.”

In pursuit of another remarkable achievement. After the unexpected silver medal won in the 2025 edition, the CUS Trieste men’s basketball team returns to the Spring National University Championships (CNU) determined to make its mark and go as far as possible.

The Trieste team, which qualified automatically for the 2026 edition thanks to last year’s second-place finish, will begin its CNU campaign on Tuesday, 26 May at 9:00 a.m. against CUS Basilicata. The Championships are organised by CUS Piemonte Orientale (CUSPO), with the basketball tournament taking place in Novara from 26 to 30 May.

In Group A, alongside CUS Trieste, which this year will field the team that finished third in the Divisione Regionale 2 championship, and CUS Basilicata, there will also be CUS Verona and CUS Firenze.

CUS Trieste will be coached by Alessandro Meden, assisted by Matteo Drioli. The 11 players selected are: Alessandro Ermacora, Umberto Franceschetto, Nicolò Giurgevich, Sebastiano Glerean, Giacomo Icardi, Luca Ladoni, Giacomo Martin, Vittorio Quariglio, Biniam Santucci, Alessandro Tonasso and Luca Trentin.

“This year,” said coach Alessandro Meden, “we are taking part with the same group that represented CUS Trieste throughout the season, without adding any external players. I don’t know whether we will be able to match last year’s great result, but I am sure that these players, who are constantly improving, will make life difficult for every opponent. This is a very close-knit group, made up of friends and teammates. For many of them, it will be their first CNU and, regardless of the final result, I am certain they will make the most of this valuable experience, both from a competitive and personal growth perspective.”

“After last year’s excellent result and an intense winter preparation,” underlined CUS Trieste President Michele Pipan, “we approach the Championships with the desire to give our best and continue to grow. In Novara, the team that has worn the CUS Trieste colours throughout the season will take to the court, having earned the opportunity to enjoy a high-level sporting and human experience. I wish the players and coach Meden, who has always stood out for his professionalism and commitment to the team, the very best for this adventure.”

The men’s basketball tournament will feature the group stage from Tuesday 26 to Thursday 28 May. The semi-finals will take place on Friday 29 May, while the finals will be played on Saturday 30 May.

The other groups are listed below:
Group B: CUS Milano, CUS Bari, CUS Caserta, CUS Camerino
Group C: CUS Lecce, CUS Sassari, CUS Napoli, CUS Palermo
Group D: CUS Genova, CUS Macerata, CUS Cagliari, CUS Piemonte Orientale

From May 15 to June 4, 2026, the Municipal Art Hall of Trieste, located in Piazza Unità d’Italia 4, will host the exhibition “Measured Utopias. Aldo Aymonino and Giuseppe Caldarola”, promoted by Stazione Rogers, the Municipality of Trieste, and the University of Trieste – Department of Engineering and Architecture, in collaboration with the RRRLab research unit of the Department of Engineering and Architecture.

The exhibition will be open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The exhibition presents a research project by Aldo Aymonino and Giuseppe Caldarola dedicated to the relationship between architecture, the city, and utopian design. At the core of the investigation lies a simple yet decisive question for architectural thought: what is the purpose of measuring that which, by its very nature, tends to escape measurement?

“Measured Utopias” compares twenty-three urban utopias developed between the 18th and 20th centuries, from Claude-Nicolas Ledoux to Ildefons Cerdà, from Ebenezer Howard to Le Corbusier, from Frank Lloyd Wright to Archigram, from Aldo Rossi and Giorgio Grassi to Buckminster Fuller and Burning Man. These models are redrawn, reconstructed, and compared through shared dimensions, and then extensively applied to a specific site: the industrial area of Porto Marghera.

The project constructs a critical sequence of reflections on the role that urban utopia can still play in contemporary architectural practice and thought. Redrawing becomes an analytical tool: a way to read, dissect, compare, and reassemble urban visions that are distant from one another, yet united by the desire to imagine a different city.

The choice of Porto Marghera as the field of application carries strategic significance. It is a rarefied, infrastructural, and productive territory, situated in relation to one of the most recognizable historic centers in the world, Venice. This context makes it possible to test the utopian models under examination, highlighting their scale, density, territorial impact, and figurative potential.

The exhibition proposes an exercise in comparison between measurement and form, between desire and possibility, between urban imagination and design. The utopias under analysis become critical devices through which to question, even today, the meaning of the city, urban form, and architecture.

The exhibition is curated by:

Thomas Bisiani
Stazione Rogers

Eddi Dalla Betta
Municipality of Trieste, Territorial Planning Service

Adriano Venudo
University of Trieste, Department of Engineering and Architecture

In Trieste, the “neverin” arrives suddenly from the sea, shaking the Gulf with wind and rain and transforming the face of the city within just a few minutes. It is precisely from this distinctive local phenomenon that Neverina was born, the new foiling Moth designed and built by the Audace Sailing Team. A name that evokes the territory and the sea, but also the sudden and dynamic energy of the “neverin”: an image the team wanted to embody in the new boat launched on Wednesday, May 13, at the Yacht Club Adriaco in Trieste.

The project involved more than 70 students from six different departments of the University. During the event, the team presented the main innovations introduced in the new boat, developed according to the principle “Sustainable, Reliable, Commercializable.”

Neverina will now represent UniTS at the SuMoth Challenge 2026, the international university competition dedicated to foiling Moths. The boat will be sailed by Leonardo Centuori, Anastasia Mutti, and Carlotta Rizzardi, three student-athletes who, alongside their competitive sailing careers, actively contribute to the project’s development within the team. Centuori has already helmed Audace’s Moths in the 2024 and 2025 editions of the competition and has competed for years in the Waszp class with national and international results. Mutti won the 2025 Youth World Championship in the 420 class in Turkey. Rizzardi, already part of the Under-21 and development squad of the Italian ILCA National Team, achieved third place at the 2023 Under-21 World Championships in Morocco. Before the SuMoth Challenge, the Audace Sailing Team will take part in the Venice Boat Show, scheduled from May 27 to 31, and will later attend MetsTrade in Amsterdam from November 17 to 19.

The new boat builds on the legacy of projects developed by the team over the years, including Dedalo, Lina, BAI-Lina Rossa, BAI-Flying Lina, and BAI-Flax Bandit, further strengthening its research path on sustainability applied to foiling sailing.

Sustainability remains a central focus of the project. Audace Sailing Team integrates LCA (Life-Cycle Assessment) analysis through the MarineShift360 platform, which enables real-time monitoring of the environmental impact of design and construction choices.

The boat was built using circular and low-impact materials, including recycled PET from plastic bottles, 30% bio-based resins, and natural flax and basalt fibers. In addition, the construction of the deck and hull using a single mold significantly reduced waste production and the overall environmental impact.

The new Moth was refined through CFD and FEM simulations, which made it possible to improve both reliability and performance compared to previous models. The optimization of the foil molds — the appendages that allow the boat to “fly” above the water — also resulted in an estimated saving of more than 3,000 kilograms of CO2 equivalent.

The event opened with remarks by the Vice President of the Yacht Club Adriaco, Giovanni Battista Bellis, followed by speeches from the Mayor of Trieste, Roberto Dipiazza; the Commander of the Port Authority of Trieste, Luciano del Prete; UniTS Vice Rector for Public and Social Engagement, Caterina Falbo; and the scientific coordinator of the Audace Sailing Team, Rodolfo Taccani. The project was presented by Pietro Miani, President of the Audace Sailing Team, and helmswoman Carlotta Rizzardi, who illustrated the innovations and objectives of the new boat.

Gold Sponsors of the project include Intesa Sanpaolo and ESTECO. Main partners also include XMTech, Armare Ropes, and Nord Composites.

Monitoring the progression of advanced cutaneous melanoma through a simple blood draw or urine sample, in order to obtain information that can help personalise therapies and make them less invasive for patients. This is the goal of EXOMEL, the new research project coordinated by the University of Trieste, which will study the use of liquid biopsy to monitor a form of cancer in which the ability to observe disease progression accurately can have a significant impact on therapeutic decisions.

The project, entitled “Exosomal microRNA from liquid biopsy for the monitoring and personalisation of treatments for advanced cutaneous melanoma”, aims to develop and validate innovative diagnostic technologies, shared among the clinical centres involved, to make treatments increasingly targeted, effective and tailored to the characteristics of each patient. The most innovative aspect concerns the use of urine samples as a form of liquid biopsy: EXOMEL will study exosomes, small vesicles involved in communication between cells, and the microRNAs they carry, with the aim of identifying a combination of biological signals that may help distinguish patients who respond to immunotherapy from those who do not.

EXOMEL is funded by the Interreg VI-A Italy–Austria 2021–2027 cross-border cooperation programme, with support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), for a total amount of 572,055.59 euros. The project, which will end on 31 March 2028, confirms the value of international cooperation in cancer research, bringing together healthcare institutions, universities and technological expertise from Italy and Austria.

The University of Trieste acts as lead partner and coordinates the project activities through its Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, involving a research team composed of Serena Bonin, Iris Zalaudek, Ilaria Gandin and Gabriele Grassi.

The partnership also includes the South Tyrol Health Authority, with the hospitals of Bruneck and Bolzano, an Italian small and medium-sized enterprise, and the University Clinic of Dermatology and Allergology of Paracelsus Medical University in Salzburg.

“At the heart of EXOMEL,” explains Serena Bonin, lecturer in Technical Sciences of Laboratory Medicine at the University of Trieste and principal investigator of the project, “is the development and validation of liquid biopsy, a diagnostic approach that makes it possible to obtain relevant information about the disease from biological samples that are easy to collect, such as blood or urine. Today, plasma liquid biopsy is used mainly in research to detect circulating tumour DNA, that is DNA carrying tumour-specific mutations. However, this approach requires the mutations to be monitored to be already known. With EXOMEL, we instead want to study the microRNAs contained in exosomes, vesicles through which cells communicate with one another, to verify whether a combination of them can help discriminate between patients with advanced cutaneous melanoma who respond to immunotherapy and those who do not.

At present,” Bonin adds, “there are no predictive biomarkers used in hospital practice to systematically guide these therapeutic choices. For this reason, the aim of the project is to contribute to the development of tools that are more accessible, repeatable and potentially useful for the personalisation of treatments.”

During the project, liquid biopsy technology will be extended to the study of urine samples and applied in the clinical centres involved through the development of common and standardised protocols. This step will make it possible to test the robustness of the approach in different clinical settings, harmonise diagnostic practices among the partner healthcare facilities and foster the creation of a stable collaborative network between Italy and Austria.

The expected results may also have an impact beyond the strictly academic and clinical fields. EXOMEL may contribute to the development of new diagnostic tools based on liquid biopsy, opening up possible prospects for technology transfer and industrial valorisation of research, including through the interest of companies active in the biomedical and diagnostic sectors.