On 11 February, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science is celebrated worldwide, promoted by the United Nations to draw attention to a gender gap that still affects all levels of scientific and technological disciplines.

The 2026 theme, “Synergizing AI, Social Science, STEM and Finance,” invites us to look beyond technical skills alone and to consider scientific development as the result of four interconnected dimensions: artificial intelligence, social sciences, STEM disciplines and financial mechanisms capable of supporting research and innovation over the long term.

Artificial intelligence, in particular, now represents a powerful driver of change: from medical diagnostics to climate modelling, from data management to the transformation of production processes. Yet without targeted interventions, the benefits of AI risk becoming unevenly distributed, widening existing disparities — including the gender gap.

According to Interface, a European think tank specialising in information technology and public policy, women account for only 22% of global AI talent, with an even lower presence in leadership positions: less than 14% hold senior executive roles in the AI sector. Despite growing initiatives aimed at encouraging girls to pursue STEM disciplines, the path toward balanced participation remains incomplete.

Within this context comes the reflection of Prof. Teresa Scantamburlo, a faculty member at the University of Trieste working in computer science and artificial intelligence, who highlights the connection between ethics and technological development.

“I approached computer science,” she explains, “thanks to an intuition that continues to inspire and motivate my research: the deep link between the computational approach to problem-solving and its philosophical and social implications.” This connection is particularly evident today in the development of AI, whose impact extends concretely to education, work, social organisation and the environment.

“To govern these transformations,” Scantamburlo states, “it is necessary to promote a more sustainable and human-centred model of development. In this process, greater female presence and participation can significantly contribute to strengthening a more equitable and responsible vision of technological progress.”

Rafforzare le competenze di funzionari e dirigenti della pubblica amministrazione locale e regionale, costruire percorsi formativi avanzati e mettere a sistema ricerca e pratica amministrativa: con questi obiettivi è stata sottoscritta oggi una convenzione di collaborazione tra il Dipartimento di Scienze Giuridiche, del Linguaggio, dell’Interpretazione e della Traduzione (IUSLIT) dell’Università di Trieste, l’ANCI FVG - Associazione Nazionale Comuni Italiani del Friuli Venezia Giulia e COMPA FVG, la Scuola di Formazione del Comparto Unico della Regione Autonoma Friuli Venezia Giulia e Centro di Competenza.

Strengthening the skills of senior civil servants and managers in local and regional public administrations, developing advanced training programmes and bringing together research and administrative practice: these are the aims of the cooperation agreement signed today by the Department of Legal, Language, Interpreting and Translation Studies (IUSLIT) of the University of Trieste, ANCI FVG – the National Association of Italian Municipalities in Friuli Venezia Giulia – and COMPA FVG, the Training School for the Single Regional Public Sector of the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia and Centre of Expertise.

The signing, held in the Cammarata Hall of the University of Trieste, comes at a time of transformation in the region’s institutional framework, linked to the reinstatement of the Provinces in Friuli Venezia Giulia following the amendment of the Special Statute. In this context, the agreement aims to provide structured support to local authorities, fostering a stable exchange on legal and institutional, organisational and management issues and supporting administrations as they adapt to the new scenario.

Speakers at the event included the Rector of the University of Trieste, Donata Vianelli; the Director of the IUSLIT Department, Gian Paolo Dolso; the President of ANCI FVG, Dorino Favot; and the President of COMPA FVG, Rodolfo Ziberna; together with the Regional Councillor for Local Autonomies, Public Service, Security and Immigration, Pierpaolo Roberti. Also in attendance were the Secretary General of ANCI FVG, Alessandro Fabbro; the Director General of COMPA FVG, Daniele Gortan; and the ANCI National Councillor, Mirko Martini.

In practical terms, the agreement provides for the active involvement of the University of Trieste in the design and delivery of training programmes for staff in local and regional administrations, with particular attention to the needs emerging during the transition to the new institutional framework. The University will contribute through applied research, comparative analysis of territorial governance models, the development of teaching materials, specialist lecturing and scientific support for COMPA FVG’s activities.

The collaboration will also result in thematic seminars, in-depth workshops, professional development programmes and opportunities for dialogue between academia and public administrations, with the aim of strengthening the legal, administrative and organisational skills required of those involved in territorial governance processes.

“This agreement,” Rector Vianelli said, “strengthens the dialogue between the University of Trieste and local institutions: linking academic knowledge with administrative practice means investing in more informed and effective management of processes, especially at a time of change such as the one accompanying the reinstatement of the Provinces.”

“The Department of Legal, Language, Interpreting and Translation Studies,” explained IUSLIT Director Dolso, “makes its scientific and teaching expertise available to build solid, up-to-date training pathways, capable of responding to the real needs of administrations and supporting the quality of decision-making within the new regional institutional framework.”

“The signing of the agreement represents an important collaboration between academia, training and the system of local autonomies, because by combining the commitment of the various institutional actors it is possible to achieve better management and organisation of local authorities, in favour of better services for citizens,” said ANCI FVG President Favot.

“Ensuring training and continuing professional development for managers and civil servants in the regional administration and local authorities will make it possible to respond to territorial governance needs in a way that is more aligned with the requirements and expectations of a community that is constantly evolving, with benefits for citizens and businesses. It is a challenge that ComPA, ANCI, the Region and the University are ready for and undoubtedly capable of meeting,” stated COMPA FVG President Ziberna.

Every tumour carries a kind of fingerprint: a set of mutations that, indirectly, tells the story of the biological processes that produced them—from DNA replication errors to faults in repair mechanisms, all the way to specific exposures or treatments.

Building on this idea of a “signature” (mutational signature), a research team at the University of Trieste—made up of PhD students from the Applied Data Science and Artificial Intelligence programme and coordinated by Prof. Giulio Caravagna—developed BASCULE, a statistical framework that uses Bayesian inference to combine existing knowledge and update the analysis as new data become available. The goal is to make the identification of mutational signatures more robust, enable the discovery of signals not yet catalogued and group samples into interpretable molecular subtypes. The study, published in Genome Biology, lists Elena Buscaroli and Azad Sadr as first authors.

In the DNA of tumour cells, mutations do not appear at random: they tend to cluster into recurring combinations. These patterns—mutational signatures—can be read as the cumulative effect of specific mutagenic processes. In other words, by looking at which types of mutations prevail and how they are distributed, it is possible to formulate plausible hypotheses about what has driven the tumour’s evolution.

In recent years, thanks to large genomic datasets, several catalogues of signatures have been proposed. However, catalogues built with different methods may not fully overlap, and the analysis can become difficult to compare or standardise.

BASCULE was created to address exactly this point: to use existing catalogues as an informative starting point, without giving up the possibility of identifying new signatures when the data suggest them.

The method adopts a Bayesian approach: rather than treating the analysis as a “blank page”, it introduces an initial body of knowledge (priors—i.e., plausible prior information) and updates it with the evidence observed in the data. This is especially useful when dealing with complex signals: it anchors interpretation to what is already known, while also making uncertainty clearer and helping recognise when something truly distinct emerges from previously catalogued signatures.

Once it estimates, for each sample, how much each mutational signature is “present” (in practice, how much it weighs in the observed mutation profile), BASCULE can also bring together samples that look alike, forming groups with shared characteristics. The idea is to turn technical information into a more immediate reading that helps recognise tumour subtypes and, when the data allow, connect them to clinical differences.

In the study—which stems from the output of an AIRC-funded project—the authors show that this approach can recover already known subtypes across different cancers and, in some cohorts where clinical information is available, identify groups associated with different outcomes. From this perspective, mutational signatures are not only a “description” of mutations: they become a tool to better interpret the biological history of the tumour and distinguish patient profiles.

“BASCULE,” explains Giulio Caravagna, Professor of Computer Science at the Department of Mathematics, Informatics and Geosciences, “is a tool that allows us to analyse a large number of patients at the same time, identifying new groups of tumours that share similar mutational signatures. This kind of approach underpins so‑called patient stratification in oncology—one of the most important steps for modern precision medicine. By working at the level of mutational signatures, we can catalogue our patients and pinpoint those subgroups in which DNA damage follows well‑defined rules.”

The study is the result of collaborative work that also involved Human Technopole (Computational Biology Research Centre, Milan), Area Science Park (Research and Technology Institute, Trieste) and the University of Milan-Bicocca.

L’Università di Trieste ha ospitato il presidente del Tribunale amministrativo regionale per il Friuli Venezia Giulia Carlo Modica de Mohac, che ha fatto visita alla rettrice Donata Vianelli.

All’incontro erano presenti anche il direttore generale Marco Porzionato e il delegato della rettrice agli Affari generali e legali Gian Paolo Dolso, direttore del dipartimento IUSLIT.

L’incontro è stato utile a consolidare i rapporti tra le due istituzioni, anche nella prospettiva di iniziative comuni, in particolare in favore degli studenti e delle studentesse dell’Università di Trieste che potrebbero beneficiare di nuove opportunità nell’ambito dei tirocini formativi curriculari.

Il presidente Modica de Mohac ha dimostrato interesse nei confronti di questa iniziativa e auspicato ulteriori forme di collaborazione tra l’Ateneo e il Tribunale amministrativo regionale. 

La Giornata Mondiale contro il Cancro (World Cancer Day), che si celebra il 4 febbraio, è un momento in cui la comunità scientifica e quella sanitaria rinnovano l’impegno con cui affrontano la malattia. Due i concetti chiave: prevenzione e cura.

La prevenzione passa da stili di vita consapevoli e dall’adesione agli screening oncologici; la cura si fonda su diagnosi sempre più precise e su terapie innovative che, in molti ambiti, stanno migliorando sopravvivenza e qualità della vita. Progressi resi possibili anche dal lavoro della ricerca — dalle scienze di base alle tecnologie diagnostiche, fino ai nuovi approcci terapeutici — che illumina il percorso verso cure più efficaci e un futuro migliore nella lotta contro il cancro.

In Italia, le stime più recenti indicano circa 390.000 nuove diagnosi ogni anno, con una mortalità oncologica in calo e, a seconda della patologia, con buone possibilità di guarigione.

In occasione del World Cancer Day l’Università di Trieste vuole illuminare almeno una parte dell’intensa attività della ricerca sul cancro, condotta dalle ricercatrici e dai ricercatori del Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche, Chirurgiche e della Salute, attraverso una piccola selezione di linee di ricerca attualmente attive. Non un quadro esaustivo, ma una panoramica che sottolinea la multidisciplinarità dei progetti in corso, con l’obiettivo comune di comprendere meglio la malattia e migliorare l’assistenza ai pazienti.

Un tratto distintivo di questi team è la frequente presenza di ricercatrici e ricercatori junior che lavorano in collaborazione con docenti e clinici, all’insegna di una trasmissione di competenze.  I progetti UniTS portano nei laboratori e nei reparti una nuova generazione di ricercatori che sarà protagonista di un’importante trasformazione tecnologica. Perché la ricerca è un processo di continuità e innovazione.

E siccome la ricerca illumina il futuro della lotta contro il cancro, nella serata del 4 febbraio la facciata dell’edificio centrale dell’Università di Trieste sarà illuminata di blu e arancio, colori ufficiali di questa giornata di sensibilizzazione, come segno visibile di attenzione e di sostegno a chi studia, cura e affronta la malattia ogni giorno.

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Serena Zacchigna e i dottorandi di Biomedicina molecolare — Perché il cuore è “protetto” dal cancro: la pista delle forze meccaniche
I tumori cardiaci, primitivi e metastatici, sono estremamente rari e le ragioni di questa rarità non sono ancora chiarite. L’ipotesi di Serena Zacchigna è che un ruolo chiave sia svolto dalle forze meccaniche generate dal battito cardiaco.
Queste sollecitazioni, continue e ritmiche, potrebbero ostacolare la proliferazione delle cellule — incluse quelle tumorali. A partire da questa intuizione, il gruppo sta lavorando a approcci terapeutici innovativi, tra cui un robot indossabile progettato per riprodurre la dinamica meccanica del cuore e rallentare la crescita di cellule tumorali, ad esempio a livello della pelle o della ghiandola mammaria. 
Alle attività di ricerca partecipano i dottorandi UniTS Maryen Vasanthakumar, Francesco Longo, Simon Cotic, Matteo Riccio, Nicoletta Bartoloni e Ilaria Del Giudice.

Mauro Giuffrè — Cancro del fegato: l’AI come alleata nelle decisioni cliniche 
L’attività di Mauro Giuffrè si colloca tra epatologia clinica, oncologia e intelligenza artificiale, con un focus sull’epatocarcinoma (HCC).
Negli ultimi anni ha lavorato allo sviluppo e alla validazione di modelli avanzati di AI generativa — inclusi large language models e sistemi multi‑agente — pensati per supportare il processo decisionale clinico nella gestione dei pazienti, in aderenza alle linee guida internazionali e ai dati del mondo reale.
Dopo tre anni di ricerca alla Yale School of Medicine, dal 15 dicembre 2025 è Ricercatore a Tempo Determinato (RTT) al DSM dell’Università di Trieste, dove prosegue l’attività nel campo della computational hepatology e della digital health. Nel 2024–2025 è stato selezionato come vincitore della fellowship dell’American‑Italian Cancer Foundation.

Raffaella Franca — Leucemia linfoblastica acuta pediatrica: terapie personalizzate e biomarcatori di rischio
La leucemia linfoblastica acuta (LLA) è la neoplasia più frequente in età pediatrica. Grazie ai progressi della ricerca, oggi la sopravvivenza a 5 anni raggiunge circa il 90%; restano però possibili effetti avversi gravi, spesso imprevedibili, che possono complicare il percorso di cura.
Il gruppo di Farmacologia del DSM (dott.ssa Raffaella Franca, prof. Giuseppe Stocco) collabora da anni con l’Oncoematologia Pediatrica dell’IRCCS Burlo Garofolo (dr. Marco Rabusin) e con la rete AIEOP per sviluppare progetti di personalizzazione della terapia.
Le attività mirano a identificare biomarcatori predittivi — fattori genetici e livelli di esposizione ai farmaci — associati a reazioni avverse o a fallimento terapeutico, e a chiarirne i meccanismi molecolari. Il lavoro coinvolge anche giovani ricercatori UniTS, tra cui Maria Irshad (dottorato in Medicina Personalizzata e Terapie Innovative) e Antimo Tessitore (Scuola di Specialità in Pediatria).

Valerio Iebba — Microbiota e risposta alle terapie: biomarcatori e modelli predittivi
La ricerca di Valerio Iebba esplora il ruolo del microbiota — l’insieme dei microrganismi che convivono con noi — nel modulare infiammazione e sistema immunitario, con un obiettivo specifico: capire come influenzi la risposta alle cure oncologiche.
Attraverso intelligenza artificiale e analisi bioinformatiche avanzate, il gruppo lavora per isolare ceppi specifici e identificare biomarcatori predittivi, con l’ambizione di costruire modelli personalizzati capaci di prevedere l’efficacia dei farmaci e, quando necessario, guidare strategie per “correggere” un microbiota in disequilibrio.
Il lavoro si sviluppa in rete con collaborazioni internazionali, tra cui Istituto Gustave Roussy e Centro di Ricerca Cordeliers (Parigi), Università di Kyoto, QIBEBT (Cina) e Università Salvador de Bahia.

Alice Tassinari (specializzanda) con Francesca Rui — Screening mirato per la diagnosi precoce del tumore del polmone (Progetto SINTESI)
Il Progetto SINTESI sviluppa uno screening mirato del tumore del polmone rivolto a persone ad alto rischio: fumatori o ex‑fumatori con una pregressa esposizione ad amianto.
Il percorso prevede una breve intervista anamnestica strutturata e una TC del torace. L’obiettivo è intercettare segnali iniziali e arrivare prima alla diagnosi, quando i trattamenti possono essere più efficaci, raccogliendo dati utili a definire un modello di prevenzione chiaro e replicabile anche in altri contesti.
Per i fumatori è previsto anche l’orientamento a un percorso di cessazione presso il Centro di prevenzione e cura del tabagismo. La linea è seguita da Alice Tassinari (supervisor Francesca Rui) e si inserisce in un lavoro multidisciplinare che coinvolge anche profili junior.

Flavia D’Agostin (borsista) con Francesca Larese Filon — Tumori naso‑sinusali di origine professionale (Progetto RENATUNS)
I tumori naso‑sinusali possono essere associati a esposizioni professionali, in particolare a polveri di legno e polveri di cuoio. Presso l’UCO di Medicina del Lavoro è attivo il centro regionale che valuta la storia espositiva e l’associazione con la patologia.
L’attività, collegata alla rete nazionale di studio, supporta anche l’avvio delle pratiche per il riconoscimento della malattia professionale da parte dell’INAIL, quando ne ricorrono le condizioni. La linea è seguita da Flavia D’Agostin nell’ambito del Progetto RENATUNS. 

Jessica Granzotto (specializzanda) — Origine professionale del tumore del polmone nel percorso di cura (PDTA)
La valutazione della possibile origine professionale del tumore del polmone rientra nelle attività del progetto RENATUNS/RENOCCAM, in collaborazione con l’Università di Milano e l’INAIL.
L’obiettivo è identificare, accanto al fumo e all’amianto, altre possibili esposizioni lavorative che possono aver contribuito alla malattia — ad esempio in ambiti come ferriera, saldatura, verniciatura, catrame — offrendo ai pazienti un approfondimento dedicato e l’accesso ai benefici previsti.
L’UCO di Medicina del Lavoro ha un CUP dedicato alle visite di valutazione. La linea è seguita da Jessica Granzotto, specializzanda in Medicina del Lavoro.

Giovanni Sorrentino — La “fisica” del tumore: meccanobiologia per aumentare l’efficacia dei farmaci
La ricerca di Giovanni Sorrentino, finanziata da AIRC, studia il cancro da un’angolazione meno nota: non solo le cellule, ma anche le proprietà fisiche del tumore.
Un tumore può diventare più rigido o più fluido del tessuto sano, e questi cambiamenti possono influenzare la crescita e la risposta ai farmaci. La meccanobiologia dei tumori analizza come durezza, compressione e architettura del tessuto possano favorire la progressione e rendere alcune terapie meno efficaci.
Comprendere questi meccanismi può suggerire strategie per aumentare l’efficacia dei trattamenti intervenendo non solo sulla biologia, ma anche sulla “meccanica” del tumore. Tra i progetti coordinati: AIRC Start‑Up Grant, Worldwide Cancer Research e PRIN.

Katia Rupel e Giulia Ottaviani — Carcinoma del cavo orale: prevenzione, laser e complicanze delle terapie
Giulia Ottaviani e Katia Rupel, con il dottorando Edgar Keller, svolgono attività clinica e di ricerca presso l’Ambulatorio di Medicina e Patologia Orale della SC Clinica di Chirurgia Maxillofacciale e Odontostomatologica, dedicandosi a prevenzione, diagnosi e follow‑up di pazienti con carcinoma del cavo orale.
Il gruppo collabora con le SC di Ematologia, Radioterapia e Oncologia per la gestione delle complicanze orali legate alle terapie anticancro. Un filone di ricerca clinica studia le proprietà terapeutiche e preventive della luce laser per ridurre effetti avversi che incidono sulla qualità di vita e sull’aderenza ai trattamenti.
Accanto alla clinica, una parte rilevante dell’attività riguarda la divulgazione: strategie innovative per aumentare consapevolezza e prevenzione di un tumore spesso poco conosciuto, con iniziative rivolte a studenti delle scuole secondarie del territorio.

Manuela Mastronardi — Chirurgia oncologica del colon‑retto: IA per la formazione, medicina di precisione e sostenibilità
La ricerca di Manuela Mastronardi è focalizzata sulla chirurgia del tumore del colon‑retto, con attenzione a formazione avanzata, ricerca traslazionale e sostenibilità.
Tra i filoni principali: l’impiego dell’intelligenza artificiale per il training in chirurgia oncologica del retto; lo sviluppo di modelli biologici personalizzati per predire la risposta alle terapie in ottica di medicina di precisione; la valutazione di indicatori di qualità come il Textbook Outcome; il confronto tra strategie di trattamento nei casi complessi, inclusi i contesti di urgenza.
Un ulteriore ambito è la green surgery, con progetti orientati a ridurre l’impatto ambientale e ottimizzare l’uso delle risorse, mantenendo standard elevati di sicurezza e appropriatezza oncologica.

Accurate measurements are the basis of every effective diagnosis and safe treatment. To ensure that this fundamental requirement for patient safety is met the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste and the University of Trieste have launched the world's first Master's degree in Radiation Metrology.This new two-year course, which began on 26 January, is part of the Master's Degree in Advanced Studies in Medical Physics and is co-funded by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Medical technologies that use radiation, including widely used techniques such as X-rays, CT scans and radiotherapy, save many lives every year. Using them to make accurate and safe diagnoses and treatments requires highly specialised professionals who can calibrate the instruments and assist medical staff in using the calibration results to ensure the safety and effectiveness of radiation diagnostics and treatment.

The new course in radiation metrology in Trieste will provide a small group of selected students, mainly from the Global South, with the managerial and technical skills they will need to become qualified radiation metrologists and play this vital role in their countries. Once graduated, the Qualified Radiation Metrologists will work in Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratories, centres established by the IAEA and the World Health Organization (WHO) to disseminate radiation dosimetry quantities in accordance with international basic safety standards. They will operate the specific equipment needed for radiation measurements, perform calibrations, evaluate the results and issue calibration certificates.

Four students coming from Venezuela, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa will start their two-year training next January. During the first year they will attend the lectures of the Master of Advanced Studies in Medical Physics, with additional courses focussing on dose measurements and calibration. Discussions are underway with the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA) to provide part of the practical, hands-on training that will be delivered during the second year, either at the Italian National Institute of Ionizing Radiation Metrology (INMRI-ENEA) in Rome, Italy, or at IAEA in Vienna, Austria.

“Accurate measurements are the cornerstone of safe and effective use of ionising radiation. This pioneering post-graduate programme is a strategic investment that will support global health and safety in the use of ionising radiation, creating the experts who will ensure that diagnostic and therapeutic radiation doses are precisely delivered and standardized worldwide, optimizing patients’ exposure and advancing health care,” said Mauro Carrara, Head of the Dosimetry and Medical Radiation Physics Section at the IAEA.

“According to international guidelines, before undertaking an internship and then practising the profession, medical physicists and radiation metrology experts need appropriate postgraduate training,” added Donata Vianelli, Rector of the University of Trieste. “Our Master's Degree in Advanced Studies in Medical Physics guarantees all the skills necessary to work in a hospital or metrology centre."

“We are grateful to the IAEA, the University of Trieste, and all our partners for their collaboration and efforts in creating with us a strong a successful programme in medical physics. It’s a wonderful example of multilateral collaboration for addressing the growing need for scientific expertise around the world in this important field. The work we have carried out together has paved the way for the new specialization in radiation metrology. We are excited to support the training of professionals who will play a vital role in this field,” said Atish Dabholkar, ICTP Director.

The Master of Advanced Studies in Medical Physics (MMP)

The Master of Advanced Studies in Medical Physics (MMP) is a two-year training programme run jointly by ICTP and the University of Trieste. The programme provides young graduates of physics or related fields (mainly from developing countries) with postgraduate theoretical and clinical training so that they may be recognised as clinical medical physicists in their home countries. The programme comprises a year of basic and advanced courses taught in English and prepared with the assistance of experts from ICTP, the University of Trieste, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and appointed external advisors. This is followed by a year of professional clinical training in a medical physics department of an Italian hospital in the programme's training network.

Almost 190 medical physicists have graduated so far from the programme, launched in 2014. They have come from more than 70 different countries, mainly in the Global South. About 90 of them have come from Africa, 44 from Asia, 41 from Latin America and the Caribbean, 14 from Europe and 1 from Oceania. Almost 40% of them are women.

Starting next year, a new collaboration with the United Nations University, through the International Institute for Global Health, will enrich the educational offering of both tracks of the Master of Advanced Studies in Medical Physics Programme by offering a course on medical ethics and issues related to global health.

The MMP is co-sponsored by the IAEA, and is supported by the International Organisation for Medical Physics (IOMP), the European Federation of Organizations in Medical Physics (EFOMP), the Italian Association of Medical Physics (AIFM), in collaboration with Trieste university hospital. The Master’s Programme is accredited by IOMP

From the Roman ports of Aquileia and Tergeste to shipbuilding in Monfalcone, from ‘multicultural’ Trieste to the memories of the two World Wars in Gorizia, up to the history of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region: seven talks to span two millennia of transformations, frontiers and coexistence in the Venezia Giulia area.

These and related themes are at the centre of ‘Ports, Peoples and Societies in a Borderland’, a public seminar series promoted by the Department of Humanities (DiSU) at the University of Trieste and supported by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region. Opening on Wednesday 21st January, the series explores the history of Venezia Giulia through migrations, identities and memories.

The initiative is itinerant and will consist of six public talks, covering four cities in Friuli Venezia Giulia - Trieste, Gorizia, Grado and Ronchi dei Legionari – with the aim of engaging a broad audience in some key aspects of the long-term history of Venezia Giulia in our region. 

‘The six talks,’ explains Tullia Catalan, Professor of Contemporary History at the University of Trieste and project lead, ‘will bring together historians and specialists from different disciplines to discuss themes such as the port systems of the area from Roman origins to the present, the social, national and linguistic borders typical of a borderland, the memories of the two World Wars, and the economic transformations and migratory flows past and present.’

These are themes in which the University of Trieste is also engaged internationally through Transform4Europe, the European alliance of universities that UniTS helped found and which highlights the role of universities in borderlands.

Institutions in the region have actively contributed to the organisation of the talks. ‘Trieste, Grado, Ronchi and Gorizia offered to host and promote the events,’ notes Catalan, ‘a sign of the strong relationships that the University of Trieste has built over the years with the cultural institutions of the Venezia Giulia area.’

The concluding talk, dedicated to the creation and development of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, will take place in Trieste on 17th April 2026 and will be organised in collaboration with the Department of Humanities and Cultural Heritage at the University of Udine.

Programme

21st January at 16:30, Civico Museo Sartorio, Sala Costantinides (Largo Papa Giovanni XXIII, 1), Trieste
Discovering the ancient world: the Roman ports and peoples of Aquileia and Tergeste
with Fulvia Mainardis (UniTS), Emanuela Murgia (UniTS), Monica Chiabà (UniTS) and Tullia Catalan (UniTS)

The speakers will retrace the Roman origins of the two ports and their commercial role through the archaeological evidence of Trieste and Aquileia. They will discuss life in the two ports, maritime trade and the various peoples who passed through the region, bringing new languages, cultures and knowledge.

25th February at 16:30, Civico Museo Sartorio, Sala Costantinides (Largo Papa Giovanni XXIII, 1), Trieste
The rich and the poor in Trieste from the Middle Ages to the contemporary era
with Miriam Davide (UniTS), Andrea Scartabellati (independent researcher), Antonio Trampus (Ca’ Foscari University of Venice) and Tullia Catalan (UniTS)

Local society and its population will be examined across different periods through the lenses of social justice, philanthropy and charity, with attention to everyday life and the needs of a multi-ethnic and multi-religious population. The focus will also include key institutions such as the Istituto Generale dei Poveri, tracing its transformations from the Habsburg to the Fascist period and its current role within contemporary welfare.

4th March at 16:30, Consorzio Culturale del Monfalconese, Conference Room (Piazza Unità d’Italia, 24), Ronchi dei Legionari
Shipbuilding and the city: the Monfalcone shipyard from the nineteenth century to today
with Massimo Degrassi (UniTS), Giuseppe Grimaldi (UniTS), Giulio Mellinato (University of Milano-Bicocca) and Tullia Catalan (UniTS)

This talk retraces the relationship between the shipyard and the city from the Habsburg period to the present. Through labour history, the evolution of urban space linked to the shipyard and the history of migration, the speakers will trace the transformation of Monfalcone into a key contemporary site of global labour dynamics.

5th March at 16:30, Sala del Consiglio Comunale di Grado (Municipio, Piazza Biagio Marin, 4), Grado
Grado between Austria and Italy: the making of a seaside tourist resort
with Massimo Degrassi (UniTS), Luciano Cicogna (Municipality of Grado), Paride Camuffo (independent researcher) and Tullia Catalan (UniTS)

Grado’s attraction as a tourist destination dates back to the nineteenth century, when it became a seaside health resort and summer retreat for the Austrian bourgeoisie. This led to the architectural transformation of its urban spaces, the organisation of summer social life and, over time, to its development as a seaside destination to the present day. Grado therefore offers a contemporary example of sustainable tourism, grounded in its long-standing history as a holiday resort.

30th March at 16:30, Musei provinciali di Gorizia, Conference Room (Borgo Castello, 13), Gorizia
Monuments, museums and the memory of the two World Wars in Gorizia
with Massimo Baioni (University of Milan), Massimo Degrassi (UniTS), Alessandro Cattunar (Associazione Quarantasettezeroquattro) and Tullia Catalan (UniTS)

Gorizia was deeply scarred by the violence of the two World Wars, which left material and intangible traces of its past. Today the city is a symbol of the fruitful and peaceful relations between Italy and Slovenia, and the border has become a space of cultural crossings, also through the various museum exhibitions on both sides of the border. The talk will explore these themes through a range of perspectives.

1st April at 16:30, Civico Museo Sartorio, Sala Costantinides (Largo Papa Giovanni XXIII, 1), Trieste
Multicultural city, ‘quintessentially Italian’ city, city of science: Trieste between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries
with Luca Giuseppe Manenti (Manlio Cecovini International Disclosure Society for Historical, Social and Ethical Studies), Tullia Catalan (UniTS), Elisabetta Vezzosi (UniTS) and Alessandro Carrieri (UniTS)

The great Habsburg port, crossroads of cultures and religions, underwent profound change after the World War I, with major population shifts driven by migration flows and a policy of mass nationalisation promoted by the Italian government of the time. For decades the border with eastern Europe became a wall, strongly opposing Slovenians and Italians. This tense climate persisted after the World War II and began to ease only in the 1960s and 1970s, thanks in part to the role of culture and science in the city, which acted as bridges to the East during the Cold War.

17th April at 16:30, FVG Region building, Tessitori multimedia room (Piazza Guglielmo Oberdan, 5), Trieste
Friuli Venezia Giulia 1963-2025: the creation and history of a special-statute region
with Raoul Pupo (UniTS), Igor Guardiancich (University of Padua), Patrick Karlsen (UniTS), Tullia Catalan (UniTS), Elena D’Orlando (University of Udine), Andrea Tilatti (University of Udine) and Andrea Zannini (University of Udine)

The concluding talk focuses on the creation and subsequent development of Friuli Venezia Giulia as a special-statute region, established by constitutional law on 31st January 1963. It will examine both the legal aspects of the region’s formation and the historical reasons underlying its establishment.

The Department of Mathematics, Computer Science and Geosciences recently hosted the ‘Deep-sea Mineral Deposits: from Biogeochemistry to Geopolitics’ Winter School, held at San Giovanni Park, addressing topics at the intersection of science, the environment and highly topical global issues.

The initiative, sponsored by So.Ge.I. (Italian Geochemical Society), was organised as part of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the University of Trieste and the University of São Paulo (Brazil) and forms part of the activities of the Executive Protocol between the Institute of Oceanography (USP) and MIGe. 

The programme offered an overview of deep-sea mineral deposits (polymetallic nodules, cobalt-rich crusts, hydrothermal sulphides), associated microbial activity – drawing parallels with evidence of the earliest forms of life on Earth – and analytical investigation techniques, from Raman spectroscopy to synchrotron light-based methodologies. The programme also addressed the environmental, economic and geopolitical aspects of deep-sea mining, in a context marked by the growing demand for critical raw materials for the energy and digital transition.

Almost forty participants took part in the international training activity, including students, PhD students, laboratory technicians, researchers and lecturers, including participants from other Italian and foreign universities. The programme featured speakers from the Brazilian university: Prof. Christian Millo (Institute of Oceanography), marine geochemist, Prof. Douglas Galante (Institute of Geosciences), astrobiologist, Fernanda Jamel, PhD candidate in Microbiology, and laboratory technician Evandro Pereira da Silva.

The organisers are planning a Brazilian edition of the Winter School next July at the University of São Paulo, with lecturers from Trieste taking part as speakers. As part of the collaboration, USP and MIGe are also developing mobility initiatives for students and doctoral candidates, with internships at both universities: in March, a Brazilian student from São Paulo is expected to arrive and will be hosted by MIGe in the MercuRILab research group coordinated by Prof. Stefano Covelli, UniTS representative for the Memorandum of Understanding.

From regenerating the heart to designing more efficient solar cells: FIS (Fondo Italiano per la Scienza) has allocated a further €3 million to two cutting-edge research projects at the University of Trieste. Funding has been awarded to SOFTEN, focused on new approaches to reversing fibrosis and promoting cardiac tissue regeneration, and to A DIGITal twin for efficient solar CELLs, set to develop a ‘digital twin’ capable of simulating a solar cell in all its complexity and of accelerating, in a predictive way, the discovery of new photovoltaic materials.

FIS is an initiative of the Italian Ministry of Universities and Research (MUR) which supports excellent research modelled on the European ERC programmes, with competitive schemes designed to accompany researchers through different stages of their careers. The two grants obtained confirm UniTS’s ability to produce cutting-edge research while also acting as an attractive hub for projects that are highly competitive at the international level.

The project SOFTEN – Reversal of cardiac fibrosis and promotion of tissue regeneration through controlled SOFTENing of the extracellular matrix milieu, coordinated by Pasquale Sacco of the Department of Life Sciences, has been awarded around €1.65 million and addresses one of the most complex challenges in contemporary medicine: after an injury, the adult human heart is unable to regenerate effectively and tends to develop fibrosis, compromising its function.

The idea stems from observations in species such as the zebrafish, which can regenerate the heart thanks to a temporary ‘softening’ of the extracellular matrix. SOFTEN aims to reproduce and control this behaviour using specifically designed biomaterials, combining polymer chemistry, materials design and cellular and molecular biology methods to understand and steer the mechanisms of cardiac tissue repair.

The project A DIGITal twin for efficient solar CELLs, funded with around €1.33 million, is led by Virginia Carnevali, who will move from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) to the Department of Physics at the University of Trieste to carry out the study.

The research aims to develop a digital twin of a solar cell capable of simulating the device in its full physical and structural complexity and of providing predictive insight both into conversion efficiency and into the discovery of new photovoltaic materials. The approach combines quantum simulations, molecular dynamics, statistical methods and experimental data, with the goal of bringing fundamental research and device engineering closer together in a key field for renewable energy.

As the researcher explains, Trieste and the Department of Physics were chosen for their internationally recognised expertise in developing codes and simulation techniques to study the structural and electronic properties of materials. The city also offers outstanding experimental facilities and a consolidated network of scientific partnerships built up since her PhD, which she completed in Trieste.

The FIS grants awarded to the projects led by Sacco and Carnevali add to the three already announced on 1st December 2025, attributed to Paolo Fornasiero (€2.3 million) and Federico Rosei (€1.9 million) of the Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and to Matteo Marinelli (€1.1 million) of the Department of Physics. Five UniTS projects have been awarded funding by FIS in this round, amounting to €8.2 million overall.

‘We are very satisfied with these results,’ commented Rector Donata Vianelli. ‘FIS applies particularly rigorous criteria in evaluating projects, and the outcome confirms the University of Trieste’s ability to develop research that attracts funding and, in this case, human capital as well. The selected programmes reflect our commitment to key research areas: from biomedical research and biomaterials to tackle major health challenges, to advanced modelling of materials and devices for renewable energy.’

In occasione del Giorno della Memoria, l’Università di Trieste promuove, in collaborazione con Stazione Rogers, il 12° Convegno multidisciplinare “Convivere con Auschwitz”, in programma oggi alle 17 al Teatro Miela, .

Nato per mettere in dialogo saperi diversi e tenere viva una riflessione scientifica e civile sulle memorie della Shoah e della deportazione, il convegno propone, nella giornata che celebra le vittime dell’Olocausto, un percorso di approfondimento che unisce ricerca, testimonianze e linguaggi culturali.

L’edizione 2026 di Convivere con Auschwitz, caratterizzata dal sottotitolo “e l’umana barbarie”, delinea una lettura tra memoria storica e attualità: l’esperienza di Auschwitz non è solo un capitolo del passato, ma un criterio per riconoscere i segnali della disumanizzazione quando riemergono linguaggi d’odio, pregiudizi e forme di intolleranza, fino alla violenza contro i civili.

In questa prospettiva si colloca la presenza di ospiti che, da contesti diversi, riportano l’attenzione sul valore della testimonianza e della responsabilità individuale. Dal Giappone, Terumi Tanaka, Premio Nobel per la Pace 2024 e rappresentante di Nihon Hidankyo (l’associazione dei sopravvissuti alle bombe atomiche di Hiroshima e Nagasaki), porta al convegno uno sguardo che connette tra loro le memorie dei grandi traumi del Novecento e il loro insegnamento per il nostro tempo.

Accanto alla riflessione, trovano spazio anche i linguaggi della cultura e del teatro: Giorgio Cantarini torna al convegno con un monologo dedicato a Giorgio Perlasca, per ricordare come, anche nelle fasi più buie, possano emergere scelte capaci di salvare vite. E l’intervento di Bruno Bozzetto – con la presentazione di un episodio di Allegro non troppo – contribuisce a ravvivare la memoria con la forza evocativa delle immagini, come strumento di consapevolezza e di educazione.

Il programma prevede, inoltre, la relazione del decano di Ateneo Mauro Barberis (“Inizio della barbarie e fine della scrittura”), l’approfondimento di Sabina Passamonti (Università di Trieste, Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita) su “I novecento giorni di Leningrado. La fame come moderno strumento di guerra”, e la testimonianza di Giuseppe Cantarini (neuropsichiatra) su “La Memoria di Giosuè. Famiglia, Benigni, Perlasca”. In chiusura, spazio alla riflessione sulle immagini della guerra con Mauro Rossi su Henry Tonks e alla presentazione, a cura di Elena Tonzar (EUT – Edizioni Università di Trieste), dei volumi 10 e 11 del convegno disponibili su OpenStarTs; la conclusione è affidata a Gianni Peteani, con un intervento dedicato ad Anna Frank.

In apertura sono previsti i saluti istituzionali della rettrice Donata Vianelli, seguiti dagli interventi di Giuseppina Scavuzzo (presidente Stazione Rogers Trieste) e Enzo D’Antona (presidente Teatro Miela). Modera Pierluigi Sabatti, presidente del Circolo della Stampa di Trieste.

La direzione scientifica del Convegno è di Mauro Barberis, decano di Ateneo e docente di Filosofia del Diritto; l’organizzazione è curata da Gianni Peteani, presidente del Comitato permanente Ondina Peteani. 

L'evento è ad ingresso libero e sarà trasmesso anche in diretta streaming sui canali YouTube di Stazione Rogers e del Teatro Miela.

L'Università di Trieste, in occasione della Giorno della Memoria, illuminerà la facciata di rosso.