Seven student-athletes from the University of Trieste will represent Italy at the upcoming FISU World University Games, scheduled from 16th to 27th July in the German region of Rhine-Ruhr. 

The top international competition dedicated to university sports, heir to the historic Universiade, will see one of the largest Italian contingents ever, with 219 athletes from 57 universities competing in 15 disciplines.

UniTS will contribute with Ilaria Corazza (Political and Administrative Sciences), already a gold and silver medallist in Chengdu in 2023, who will compete in single scull (solo rowing), while Tommaso Vianello (Strategy, Consultancy and Business Logistics) will take to the water in the mixed quadruple sculls (mixed rowing). The national water polo women’s team will be counting on the goals scored by Pallanuoto Trieste's members Giorgia Klatowski (Law), Emma De March (Science and Technology for the Environment and Nature) and Guya Zizza (Psychology). In compound archery, Elisa Bazzichetto (Biology) and Antonio Brunello (Naval Engineering) will take to the platform.

The competitions will take place in six cities, including Bochum, Duisburg and Essen, with Italy determined to prove its leading role in world university sport after finishing fourth in the medal table at the previous edition.

For many students, participation in the World University Games represents the pinnacle of a route that combines academic commitment and sporting ambition, against the backdrop of a veritable university Olympics. 

The University of Trieste, which strongly supports the dual careers of its student-athletes by providing support that allow them to balance the demands of both competitive sport and university education, is preparing to enthusiastically follow the adventures of the ‘magnificent 7’ at the upcoming World University Games.

A new international study, coordinated by Francesca Malfatti, Professor of Microbiology at the Department of Life Sciences of the University of Trieste, has revealed how black carbon can significantly influence microbial communities in the marine environment, with important implications for the global carbon cycle and the functioning of ocean ecosystems. The research, published in the journal Environmental Science and Pollution Research, involved a team of researchers from the Oceanography Department of the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS), Elettra and several French and Austrian research institutions.

Black carbon, the focus of the study, is a residue resulting from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, wood, biomass or biofuels. It makes up a significant fraction of atmospheric particulate matter and can reach the ocean through rain, wind or river runoff. Due to its ability to absorb heat, it also contributes to global warming.

Through experiments carried out in the Ligurian and Adriatic Seas, the researchers simulated high concentrations of black carbon (24 mg per litre) to observe how marine microbial communities reacted to its presence. The results showed that black carbon can stimulate the growth of heterotrophic prokaryotic microorganisms, which feed on organic matter in the water, and increase the production of organic carbon, making it available to other marine organisms.

However, the same experiments showed a decrease in enzymatic activity, which normally promotes the degradation of organic matter, and a reduced presence of viruses. This suggests that black carbon alters the microbial balance, creating environmental micro-niches in which microorganisms with specific metabolic functions proliferate.

These results help to better understand the functioning of the so-called ‘microbial carbon pump’ (MCP), a mechanism that transforms organic matter into more stable forms, capable of remaining in the ocean for long periods and thus contributing to carbon storage. Studying the role of black carbon, especially that of anthropogenic origin, is therefore essential for improving climate change models and developing effective mitigation strategies.

Last night, a packed Piazza Verdi hosted the University of Trieste's Graduation Day, held in the heart of the city for the first time ever. The academic ceremony celebrating 170 new PhD graduates from UniTS turned into a public event open to the public, featuring science outreach, music and other university proceedings. 

Included in the official Triestestate calendar, the evening also marked the last public event for Rector Roberto Di Lenarda, who chose to end his term alongside young researchers and fellow members of the public. 

‘We wanted to bring Graduation Day to the city centre,’ said Di Lenarda, ‘to once again emphasise the strong bond between the University and Trieste, which we have consolidated thanks to the University’s 100th Anniversary celebrations. I am both delighted and honoured to conclude my services to the academic community alongside the young people who represent the excellence of our education system and our fellow citizens, who are the ultimate beneficiaries of our research. I end my rectorship with the message that knowledge must be implemented, shared, communicated and, above all, sustained, because only by investing in the education of young people and research will we ensure a prosperous future for our country.’

The keynote speaker was Rosario Rizzuto, former rector of the University of Padua and now president of the National Centre for Gene Therapy and Drugs based on RNA Technology, one of the strategic infrastructures of the NRRP promoted by the Italian Ministry of University and Research. His speech, entitled ‘RNA and gene therapy: new technologies for personalised medicine’, offered a glimpse into the challenges and potential of the biotechnological revolution that is transforming contemporary medicine. At the heart of his reflection was the need to accelerate the transfer of scientific research results to clinical applications through the development of new platforms capable of generating innovative RNA-based drugs and gene therapy treatments. This perspective will require significant investment in research, interdisciplinary collaboration and industrial innovation to make personalised medicine increasingly advanced, sustainable and accessible.

The ceremony highlighted the international atmosphere and vitality of the University's doctoral programmes. The 170 new PhD graduates represent the highest number in the history of the University of Trieste, with an increase of 28% compared to the previous year. The students’ origins, spanning Europe, Asia, Africa and America, also include researchers from countries affected by serious international crises, testimony to the role of science as a resource for building spaces for dialogue and peace.

During Roberto Di Lenarda's term as rector, the University's PhD programmes have seen significant growth in scholarship numbers, total enrolments and the appeal of the programmes on offer. 'Between 2019 and 2024,' says Prof. Alessandro Baraldi, Deputy Rector for Scientific Research and Doctorates, 'the number of places available has increased from 138 to 185 (up by 34%), the total number of enrolments in doctoral programmes has grown from 348 to 549, an increase of 57.8%, while the number of candidates for admission tests has increased from 667 to 1,268, an increase of 90.5%.’

This growth has come alongside a strengthening of employment prospects. One year after graduation, 85% of UniTS PhD graduates are employed, with 26% in the private sector and 15% engaged in industrial innovation. And while 17% of graduates have started their careers abroad, 68.2% are currently contributing to the economic and social growth of Italy’s North-East.

Hosted by journalist Marinella Chirico, the evening went from institutional speeches – with greetings from the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, the Municipality of Trieste and Fondazione CRTrieste – to educational proceedings and musical interludes with Ben & the Soul Sisters, composed of Joy Jenkins, Michela Grilli and Sara Roversi, accompanied on piano by Marco Ballaben. The event concluded with the traditional cap toss, a symbol of the end of one’s studies and obtaining a PhD degree.

Graduation Day was organised with the contribution of Fondazione CRTrieste and was part of the Triestestate summer festival, promoted by the Municipality of Trieste – Department of Culture and Tourism, with the collaboration of the Department of Education and Family Policies, the Department of Territorial Policies, PromoTurismoFVG and the Trieste Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The Société Chimique de France has announced that Sabrina Pricl, Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Trieste, has been awarded the 2025 French-Italian “Stanislao Cannizzaro – Jacques Arnaudon Chemistry Lectureship Award”, in recognition of her scientific achievements in molecular biochemistry, at the interface between experimental and computational chemistry, and her strong ties with the French chemical community.

The prize is jointly awarded by the Société Chimique de France - a prestigious scientific institution founded in 1857 - and the Italian Chemical Society, as part of a bilateral agreement renewed last May in Paris. Its aim is to annually honor an outstanding Italian or French scientist who has distinguished themselves in the field of chemical research. The award is traditionally followed by a lecture tour in both France and Italy, with the winner serving as keynote speaker.

Sabrina Pricl is the scientific director of the Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Nanotechnology (MolBNL@UniTS) at the University of Trieste, where she leads interdisciplinary research projects in nanomedicine funded by national and international public and private institutions. Her work focuses on integrating experimental techniques and supercomputing to study protein–protein interactions in cancer therapies, and on developing advanced nanosystems for targeted delivery of drugs, proteins, and nucleic acids.

Author of over 200 peer-reviewed scientific publications and an active promoter of technology transfer and science outreach, Professor Pricl was awarded the title of Eminent Scientist by the University of Łódź (Poland) in 2020.

The official award ceremony will take place in June 2026 during the national congress of the Société Chimique de France in Bordeaux.

The DNA of a freshwater jellyfish of non-native origin, specifically Asian (Craspedacusta sowerbii), has been detected in the underground waters of the Timavo River inside the Luftloch cave, recently discovered by the Adriatic Speleological Society.

This significant scientific discovery is the result of collaboration between the University of Trieste, the Adriatic Speleological Society (SAS), and the Trieste Civic Museum of Natural History.

The sampling and analyses were carried out by the research group coordinated by Chiara Manfrin of the Department of Life Sciences at UniTS, as part of a project aimed at monitoring biodiversity in subterranean environments through the use of environmental DNA (eDNA). This innovative technique makes it possible to detect genetic traces left by organisms in their habitat, allowing the identification of species that are not easily observed.

‘This method allows us, by filtering water, to detect genetic traces left by organisms in the surrounding environment, thus enabling the identification of species that are difficult to observe directly,’ explains Manfrin. ‘The results revealed the presence of Craspedacusta sowerbii DNA, a non-native species originating in China, harmless to humans but whose effects on Karst ecosystems are under study.’

The discovery follows on from previous observations of the jellyfish in the Slovenian section of the Reka-Timavo since 2016, conducted by the Trieste Civic Museum of Natural History and published in a scientific note by Nicola Bressi and Andrea Colla. The genetic confirmation obtained now further strengthens the hypothesis of the species’ presence in the underground waters of the Karst.

It was among the first academic events in Europe dedicated to the new Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence, Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law adopted by the Council of Europe in September 2024: The conference held at the Gorizia Campus of the University of Trieste brought together scholars from different countries for a critical and multidisciplinary reflection on the implications of the Treaty.

The event entitled ‘The CoE framework convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the rule of Comparative Law, EU, and International Law perspectives’ also received attention from the Council of Europe, which announced it on its official portal, underlining its value as an in-depth initiative supported by the academic world. 

Opening the meeting was Mario Hernández Ramos, President of the Committee on Artificial Intelligence of the Council of Europe (CAI), who in his speech explained the negotiation process of the Convention, its content and the prospects for its implementation. ‘Human values must be at the heart of the design, development and deployment of artificial intelligence, and the Council of Europe Convention plays a key role in achieving this.’ 

The conference was organised by Giuseppe Pascale and Marta Infantino, professors of International Law and Comparative Private Law at the University of Trieste, with the support of the Department of Political and Social Sciences (DiSPeS) and the European Union. It also received support from the PRIN project AutomatA – The dark side of algorithm in public administration, funded by the Italian Ministry for Universities and Research, whose partnership with UniTS is overseen by Professor Infantino’s scientific supervision.

‘This was one of the very first opportunities in Europe for critical academic reflection on the potential impact of the new Convention’, explain the organisers. ‘We have gathered scholars of comparative, international and European law in Gorizia to understand the prospects and consequences of regulating artificial intelligence. The contributions presented will be collected and published in open access, for the benefit of the scientific community and all those who want to deepen the content and scope of the Convention.’

A persistent inflammation affecting blood vessels and potentially leading to serious thrombotic complications, even in young individuals with no known risk factors – this is the reality of systemic vasculitis, a group of rare autoimmune diseases which, if not promptly recognised and treated, can compromise vital organs such as the heart, kidneys, lungs and brain.

These conditions are the focus of a study published in Nature Reviews Rheumatology, one of the world’s most prestigious journals in the fields of immunology and rheumatology. The study is coordinated by Professor Giacomo Emmi, immunologist, lecturer in Internal Medicine at the University of Trieste, Head of the Department of Clinical Medicine and Scientific Coordinator of ASUGI (local health authority).

The article, the result of a coordinated review effort involving leading research centres in Italy, Sweden, Russia, Turkey and Australia, provides an overview of the thrombotic and cardiovascular manifestations associated with vasculitis. It also proposes new treatment strategies based on an anti-inflammatory approach.

The topic will be the subject of a presentation by Professor Emmi during the European Vasculitis Society (EUVAS) congress, being held for the first time in Trieste from 21st to 24th May, and bringing together over 400 specialists from across Europe. The congress is a key event for clinicians and researchers working in this area and is noted for its strongly multidisciplinary approach. Emmi is a member of the society’s board and part of the organising committee for the event.

"Our work," explains Emmi, "shows that in many forms of vasculitis, thrombosis is not an isolated event, but a direct consequence of vascular inflammation. In such cases, anticoagulants alone may be insufficient and must be combined with immunological therapy. A deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying these findings changes the therapeutic approach and may open new avenues for other chronic inflammatory and non-inflammatory diseases as well."

Among the types of vasculitis examined in the review are:

• Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis – a disease primarily affecting the respiratory tract, heart and peripheral nervous system;
• Behçet’s syndrome, which involves blood vessels of varying calibre and is characterised, among other things, by inflammatory thrombotic events.

The publication focuses on:

• the differences between arterial and venous thrombotic events;
• therapeutic management at different stages of the disease;
• and the various pathogenetic mechanisms that can inform clinical decision-making.

The study, available online via the Nature platform, represents a significant contribution to the international discourse on systemic autoimmune diseases, a constantly evolving field of medicine.

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Full Study Published in Nature Reviews Rheumatology         
Arterial and venous thrombosis in systemic and monogenic vasculitis
Federica Bello¹˒¹⁵, Filippo Fagni²˒³˒¹⁵, Giacomo Bagni⁴, Catherine L. Hill⁵˒⁶, Aladdin J. Mohammad⁷˒⁸, Sergey Moiseev⁹, Iacopo Olivotto¹˒¹⁰, Emire Seyahi¹¹ & Giacomo Emmi¹²˒¹³˒¹⁴

1. Cardiomyopathy Unit, Careggi University Hospital, Florence, Italy
2. Department of Rheumatology, Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden
3. Department of Clinical Sciences, Rheumatology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
4. Department of Rheumatology and Inflammatory Diseases, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
5. Discipline of Medicine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
6. Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Central Adelaide Local Health Network, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
7. Department of Rheumatology and Inflammation Research, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
8. Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
9. Department of Internal Medicine and Rheumatology, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
10. IRCCS Don Carlo Gnocchi Foundation, Florence, Italy
11. Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
12. Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
13. Department of Internal Medicine, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Giuliano Isontina (ASUGI), Trieste, Italy
14. European Reference Network ReCONNET, Trieste, Italy
These authors contributed equally: Federica Bello, Filippo Fagni

Prof. Pierangelo Gobbo’s research group from the Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Trieste has taken an exciting step forward in the creation of artificial tissues that respond to light, which they have called ‘photonastic prototissues.’

Synthetic biology is a discipline which straddles the border between engineering and biology, and was created in order to build artificial biological systems by combining chemistry, biotechnology and engineering. The work of Prof. Pierangelo Gobbo’s research group addresses a key challenge in the field: to create artificial tissues that not only mimic the structure of living systems, but also integrate movement and biochemical functions. The UniTS research group has created a powerful platform for designing materials that do not merely exist passively, but react and actively adapt to their environment.

The potential applications will have a significant impact on scheduled drug delivery techniques, the field of bioinspired materials and the field of soft robotics, a discipline which uses soft and flexible materials to create robots that can bend, deform and adapt to their environment.

The researchers, inspired by how real tissues convert energy into movement and function, have designed synthetic tissue-like materials that can contract and switch off their internal reactivity when exposed to light.

The secret of these dynamic proto-tissues lies in the combination of two elements: gold nanoparticles that convert light into heat and a polymer ‘proto-cortex’ that is sensitive to thermal changes. Similar to the cortex of living cells, this is nothing more than a polymer layer that covers the inside of the protocell membrane and gives the protocell greater mechanical strength. When exposed to light, the gold nanoparticles generate heat and trigger the contraction of the proto-cortex. This causes the individual proto-cells that make up the material to contract just like a small muscle. When the light is switched off, the structure promptly relaxes.

In addition to movement, they have shown that these contractions can regulate the enzymatic metabolism of the tissue, blocking or allowing access to small substrate molecules. In other words, light intensity can be used to induce reversible contractions that can modulate a biochemical process housed within the material.

The work, now published in Advanced Materials, https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adma.202502830 was developed in collaboration with Professors Piero Pavan and Silvia Todros (Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padua; Tissue Engineering Lab, Fondazione Istituto di Ricerca Pediatrica Città della Speranza).

The research was supported by the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant PROTOMAT, 101039578), the Next Generation EU (PRIN project NRRP 3D-L- INKED, P2022BLNCS; PRIN project SAMBA 2022285HC5_002; PNRR project ‘Metabolic and cardiovascular diseases’ CN000041) and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship ‘SAPTiMeC’ (101023978).

A previously unknown and extraordinary glacial melt event dating back to the Medieval Warm Period has left striking evidence on a glacier in Northern Victoria Land, Antarctica. The discovery is detailed in an international study published in the prestigious journal Communications Earth and Environment, titled "A warming pulse in the Antarctic continent changed the landscape during the Middle Ages." For the first time, the study reconstructs the impact of a sudden climatic warming that occurred between 900 and 989 years ago and significantly altered the Antarctic landscape.

The research, coordinated by Emanuele Forte (University of Trieste) and Mauro Guglielmin (University of Insubria and Centre for Climate Change Research), in collaboration with Maurizio Azzaro (Institute of Polar Sciences of the National Research Council – CNR-ISP), Nicoletta Cannone and Alessandro Longhi (University of Insubria and Centre for Climate Change Research), and Ilaria Santin (ETH Zurich), documents a phenomenon never before observed. The study identifies intense fluvial erosion and sediment transport across the glacier’s surface, caused by meltwater runoff that carved a channel at least four kilometres in length.

The findings show that the water left a lasting imprint on the glacier, creating a break in the stratigraphy and forming a graded sediment deposit – clear evidence of a gradual slowing of the water flow. Unlike current melt events observed in East Antarctica and on the Nansen Ice Shelf, the medieval event stands out as an exceptional case. It occurred during a naturally occurring phase of global warming, yet the same glacier today remains permanently snow-covered with no signs of surface melting. This contrast further highlights the uniqueness and significance of the discovery.

The research offers a new perspective on the stability of Antarctic glaciers and demonstrates that even short-lived episodes of climatic warming – often undetectable through traditional palaeoclimatic analysis – can lead to profound and lasting changes in glacial landscapes. The results underscore the sensitivity of Antarctic glaciers to sudden climate shifts and point to the potential impact of extreme events linked to ongoing climate change.

The study was conducted as part of the National Antarctic Research Programme (PNRA), funded by the Ministry of Universities and Research (MUR) and implemented through the National Research Council (CNR) for scientific coordination, ENEA for the planning and logistical support of activities at Antarctic bases, and the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS) for the technical and scientific management of the research vessel Laura Bassi.

Making green hydrogen a more efficient, safe and accessible energy source is the goal of the E4H2 – Efficiency for Hydrogen project, launched by the University of Trieste in collaboration with the University of Udine. The initiative is one of several funded by the Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia through its regional call for proposals to support the creation and modernisation of research infrastructure in the field of renewable hydrogen.

Thanks to funding of €2 million from the regional government, the UniTS project will establish a network of four laboratories distributed across the region. Each lab will focus on a strategic stage in the hydrogen value chain, from production and storage to end use.

Researchers will work to improve the efficiency and durability of electrolysers, devices that produce ‘green’ hydrogen by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity from renewable sources. The project will test innovative storage systems, including cryogenic tanks – specialised containers capable of storing hydrogen in liquid form at extremely low temperatures (down to -252°C) – and high-pressure solutions designed to reduce energy loss during storage and transport.

Significant efforts will also be devoted to the development of more efficient and longer-lasting fuel cells, which convert hydrogen into electricity without releasing pollutants, as well as to the definition of operating protocols aimed at improving the overall efficiency of the process. Another key objective will be safety, with the new network enabling researchers to identify critical issues and propose solutions to ensure increasingly reliable hydrogen use.

‘The infrastructure,’ explains Rodolfo Taccani, Professor of Machinery at the University of Trieste and scientific lead of the project, ‘will allow for the testing of devices at various levels, from individual components to pilot-scale systems. It will combine experimental research with advanced simulation models, including those based on artificial intelligence. The data collected will support better maintenance, lower costs and greater sustainability across the system.’

E4H2 represents a major step in building a regional green hydrogen supply chain, fully integrated into the broader cross-border framework of the North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley. It will foster connections between universities, research centres and businesses in support of the energy transition and decarbonisation.

As part of the wider regional funding programme for renewable hydrogen research infrastructure, the University of Trieste is also participating as a partner in three additional projects. The research teams are led by Rodolfo Taccani (Department of Engineering and Architecture), Alessandro Baraldi (Department of Physics) and Lorenzo Bonini (Department of Mathematics, Computer Science and Geosciences). The total funding awarded to these projects amounts to €3.5 million out of the 11 million allocated by the regional authority, making the University of Trieste the leading research institution in Friuli Venezia Giulia in this area of energy transition.