From Thursday 27th November to Tuesday 9th December 2025, the Gorizia Campus library of the University of Trieste hosts the travelling exhibition The Garden of the (In)visibles, an international project that invites us to look at European borders as places of stories, passages and rights. 

The set-up stems from the collaboration between the University of Trieste and the Primorska University of Koper (Slovenia), which was launched as part of the Transform4Europe University Alliance: a joint work that exposes objects abandoned by people moving along the routes between Croatia, Slovenia and Italy and transforms them into traces of a shared European heritage.

The project takes the form of field research activities conducted jointly by professors, researchers and students of the two universities. The objects collected along the migratory paths are goods of daily use necessary for eating, sleeping, covering or caring, but also elements related to the intimate and spiritual sphere. Snatched away from the invisibility they are often surrounded by, these materials are recontextualised as ‘talking artifacts’: small physical elements that refer to identities, memories and belongings, opening a bridge between material heritage and intangible heritage, between what remains and the lives that have gone through it.

‘Ourtask as a university, as researchers, as students is above all to stimulate social but also political reflection on what is happening at European borders, not only in our own country, with regard to migratory mobility,’ emphasises Professor Roberta Altin, UniTS Rector’s Delegate for Development Cooperation and scientific coordinator of the exhibition. 

The Garden of the (In)visibles not only exhibitssome objects, but questions visitors and institutions about the materiality of a phenomenon that might remain abstract and calls for a responsible look at what is happening at Europe’s borders.

Conceived as T4E’s Common Cultural Activity of Work Package 7 (Common Heritage & Multilingualism), the exhibition is an evolving project that, step by step, is enriched with local contributions, artistic installations, oral stories and moments of public debate. After its debut at the University of Saarland, the exhibition will cover a total of seven out of ten T4E universities, including Italy, Slovenia, Germany, Portugal, Bulgaria, Spain and Poland. The Gorizia stage has a particularly symbolic value because it brings the project back to the border from which it started, rooting the European dialogue in the territory that inspired it.

The opening is scheduled for Thursday 27th November at 17:00 in the Gorizia Campus library of the University of Trieste (via Alviano 18, first floor). Prof. Roberta Altin from UniTS, Prof. Katja Hrobat Virloget from Primorska University, Prof. Jure Gombač from the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts and Giuseppe Grimaldi of the University of Trieste. The event will also be actively attended by students from UniTS, UP and Collegio Fonda; The ‘Fonda for Others’ working group will gather visitors’ impressions and reflections during the visit.

The exhibition will be open and freely accessible until 9th December 2025. The library will be open from Monday to Thursday from 9:00 to 18.30 and on Fridays from 9:00 to 13:00; the venue will be closed on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.

The exhibition will end with a T4EU International Conference entitled ‘Standing up for Higher Education in Times of Global Crises’, scheduled for Tuesday 9th December 2025 at 15:00 in the Main Hall of the Gorizia Campus (via Alviano 18).

For information about the project and the exhibition: t4eu.heritage@units.it.

Speaking at the TOP500 Companies event, organized by NEM – Nord Est Multimedia in the Oceania Hall of the Stazione Marittima, Rector Donata Vianelli highlighted the University's strategic role in the growth of the region, emphasizing that UniTS's trajectory is increasingly linked to the development of the context in which it operates. She also commented on the University's encouraging enrollment figures.

"This year, we are seeing an impressive double-digit growth of 13% in our three-year and single-cycle master's degrees," a figure set to increase "probably to 15%" once medical-area enrollments are completed after the filter semester.

Facing the future challenges of demographic winter, the role of the territory and the dialogue we can establish with companies and institutions become crucial for a university like ours. Vianelli observed that growth will be possible because "the territory is becoming more attractive: the University of Trieste is growing together with Trieste, a city profoundly changed from the past," now more open, international, and eligible as an ideal place to study, work, and live.

However, growth is not just a matter of numbers: "It is not a journey we can manage without a vision, without a strategy, without actions that lead us to growth." For over ten years, the University has been working on attractiveness, aiming to bring young people to Trieste from all over Italy and, increasingly, from abroad.

One of the pillars of this shared growth is the relationship with the business community: in this regard, the Rector cited the work started in 2013 on job placement, building a structured dialogue with companies. There are businesses that "wait for our graduate when needed" and often do not find them, while others "activate a continuous dialogue with the university" and undertake genuine talent acquisition, involving students as early as their bachelor's or master's degrees. This approach helps create value for companies, for the University, and for Trieste in terms of reputation and ability to attract talent.

Within this framework, Vianelli recalled the recently released results on UniTS graduate employment rates, with the University of Trieste being first in Italy in several disciplinary areas, including engineering, architecture, economics, and the pharmaceutical-healthcare sector, and also ranking high in the legal area.

Collaboration with the business world starts with the design of educational offerings through the involvement of company representatives in the stages of establishing and reviewing degree programs. This allows the University to read labor market trends, identify emerging skills, and continuously update teaching activities, ensuring constant adaptation to the needs of the working world.

Alongside placement, entrepreneurial training is an important chapter: Vianelli mentioned the experience of the Innovators Community Lab, the University's laboratory where interdisciplinary groups of students develop business ideas and are supported in defining the project and the business plan, with the backing of external entrepreneurs and professionals.

In her speech, the Rector also addressed the issue of young people's salaries and mobility abroad, where better-paid positions are offered. This is a matter concerning national economic policies and the tax framework, but one which the region can influence by making the living and working environment more attractive to encourage the return of highly qualified profiles.

Vianelli linked this reasoning to the issue of the demographic emergency: universities and businesses are called to devise long-term strategies for investing in human capital and attracting students from Italy and abroad.

A significant point was dedicated to the phenomenon of university dropout. In Italy, the Rector recalled, about a quarter of students abandon their studies, with peaks exceeding 30% in some degree courses. A dropout represents a "failure" for the people involved and for the university, as it can translate into a loss of motivation and a higher risk of unemployment. For this reason, she explained, it is not enough to simply "promote" the University to get enrollments, but constant support must be provided to students, and choices far removed from their aptitudes and passions should be advised against.

In this perspective, the Rector valued the role of the ITS (Higher Technical Institutes) in Friuli Venezia Giulia as partners in building an integrated educational system. The collaboration focuses on two main axes: joint orientation, to guide young people toward the most suitable path, and the exchange of competencies, involving UniTS lecturers in ITS teaching and the use of ITS labs for shared educational activities.

"We can achieve great results by making the entire education system and the productive system collaborate," she concluded.

From 25th to 28th November 2025, Trieste and Gorizia will host the advanced course ‘Challenges and Perspectives of Science Diplomacy in Central, Eastern and South‑Eastern Europe’, dedicated to an increasingly central theme in the dialogue between science, public policy and international relations.

The initiative, promoted by the Executive Secretariat of the Central European Initiative (CEI) and the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, is co-organised by UniTS Department of Political and Social Sciences (DiSPeS), as part of the joint InCE‑FVG 2024‑2025 work programme. The project is supported by Area Science Park and Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste, in collaboration with the Science and Innovation System of the FVG and the EU Science Diplomacy Alliance.

The course is part of a particularly dynamic international context: in 2025, UNESCO launched the first Global Dialogue on Scientific Diplomacy and, at European level, an EU Council Recommendation for the adoption of a European Framework for Scientific Diplomacy is expected by March 2026. In this context, Trieste and Friuli Venezia Giulia strengthen their role as a platform for scientific cooperation and advanced training towards the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

Skills and competences for a strategic region

Scientific diplomacy is now a concrete lever to tackle challenges that go beyond national borders – from research security to energy transitions, from environmental sustainability to the protection of cultural heritage – by translating knowledge into cooperation and evidence-based decisions. The course was created to address the limited focus so far on the topic in the CESEE (Central,Eastern and South‑Eastern Europe) area, which is strategic for the future of Europe and particularly exposed to geopolitical, demographic and technological transformations.

As Professor Simone Arnaldi from UniTS Department of Political and Social Sciences points out, the University’s participation is part of a long-lasting collaboration with the Central European Initiative and the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region: ‘In the context of this collaboration and in line with its vocation, UniTS focuses on training in the field of scientific diplomacy, both through the analysis of training needs and in the design and implementation of courses and seminars at the intersection of science, public policy and international relations. The aim is to disseminate among researchers, diplomats and public and private decision-makers the knowledge and skills necessary to promote scientific cooperation and, through this, international dialogue and collaboration on the major challenges facing our societies.’ 

International participants and faculty of the FVG science system
26 participants were selected through an international call from 11 CEI member countries (Italy, Slovenia, Romania, Albania, Serbia, Poland, Czech Republic, Montenegro, Hungary, North Macedonia, Moldova). The classroom group is multidisciplinary and includes diplomats, public officials, researchers, scientific leaders, private sector professionals, journalists and NGO operators, international relations students.

The faculty brings together experts from the University of Trieste and the main scientific and international institutions active in the area, including ICTP, TWAS, ICGEB, OWSD, OGS, University of Udine, Elettra, Area Science Park, as well as representatives of the European Commission, MAECI, CNR and other partners.

A program divided into lectures, workshops and visits
The course includes 17 taught modules, three interactive workshops, discussions with participants and a study visit to the research infrastructures of the SIS FVG system, with a focus on the role that large laboratories and technology platforms can play in international cooperation. The days will address the fundamentals of scientific diplomacy and its evolution in the European and global context, the skills required of new ‘scientific diplomats’, the thematic perspectives (Agenda 2030, research security, sustainable agriculture, energy, disasters and resilience) and a concluding round table dedicated to the Italian perspective on scientific diplomacy for Eastern and South-Eastern‑Europe.

26th November in Gorizia, in the historical premises of diplomatic sciences
The course takes place on an itinerant basis in the partners’ premises and took place on Wednesday 26th November in UniTS Gorizia Campus. The choice of the Gorizia Campus enhances the vocation of the city and its academic history, which for years has been a national reference for training in diplomatic and international sciences. Hosting a day dedicated to scientific diplomacy here means linking a consolidated patrimony of studies and skills with an emerging field, today decisive for foreign policy and regional cooperation.

With this course, UniTS confirms its commitment to international training and the building of scientific partnerships in the CESEE area, helping to make Trieste and Friuli Venezia Giulia a European hub of expertise on scientific diplomacy aimed, in particular, at Western Balkans and Eastern Europe countries in the process of entering the EU.

On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, observed on 25 November, the Comitato Unico di Garanzia (CUG) of the University of Trieste is promoting a Focus Week aimed at engaging both the university community and the general public. The initiative seeks to explore the phenomenon from different perspectives and to offer tools to understand it, provide training, and raise awareness.

According to data from the Department of Public Security of the Italian Ministry of the Interior, in the first half of 2025 there was an increase in murders committed by a partner or former partner: compared with the same period in 2024, cases rose from 33 to 40 (+21%). The number of female victims also increased from 28 to 34 (+21%).

This means that, among all murders occurring within family or intimate relationships, 67% of victims are women, and of these, 85% are killed by a partner or former partner. The figures therefore highlight how women are most at risk of violence precisely in contexts where they should feel safest and most protected.

“The Focus Week ‘Knowing, training and informing to end violence against women’,” explains Prof. Maria Dolores Ferrara, Chair of the University’s CUG, “is designed first and foremost for young people such as university students. Through a series of seminars, professors from the University of Trieste’s departments will address issues related to violence against women, gender stereotypes and inequalities.”

As in previous years, several university classrooms will host the Posto Occupato initiative. By symbolically reserving empty seats, the project commemorates all women who were victims of violence—women who, before being killed by a husband, former partner or lover, once occupied a seat in a theatre, on a tram, at school, at university and, more broadly, in society.

In cooperation with other local organisations and institutions, the University’s CUG is also promoting a calendar of awareness‑raising events open to the public, including the following:

Ending violence against women and domestic violence: legislation and field work
Meeting organised by Soroptimist Trieste
25 November 2025, 6.00 pm, Stazione Rogers, Riva Grumula 14

Gender‑based violence between law and lived reality
Natalina Folla and Patrizia Romito, former UniTS professors, interview Paola Di Nicola Travaglini, Justice at the Court of Cassation
16 December 2025, 3.00 pm, Aula Magna, Building A, Piazzale Europa Campus

Notes of light: women’s memories
Concert in memory of femicide victims by the University of Trieste Choir and the Student Council
16 December 2025, 6.00 pm, Aula Magna, Building A, Piazzale Europa Campus

The programme also includes a listening point run by the GOAP Anti‑Violence Centre, which will be available on Thursday 27 November from 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm in Building B of the Piazzale Europa Campus.

From 24 to 28 November, the entrance hall of the right wing of Building A will host the exhibition “What Were You Wearing? Toward a Positive Manifesto,” promoted by the Trieste Women’s Council. The display presents clothing worn and excerpts from court statements given by women who have experienced violence. It offers a reflection on misguided interpretations that, in public debate or in investigative settings, may place undue emphasis on clothing and generate forms of secondary victimisation. The exhibition is complemented by QR codes for further information and by a notebook open to visitors’ contributions, inviting them to leave thoughts or proposals for shared action to counter violence. The collected materials will feed into a forward‑looking manifesto, to be presented in March 2026.

To express solidarity with women who are victims of violence and to reaffirm its commitment to raising awareness among young people and the wider community, on Tuesday 25 November the University of Trieste will light the façade of Building A in red.

For information on how to take part in the scheduled activities, please write to: presidenza.comitato.garanzia@units.it

FULL PROGRAMME OF INITIATIVES 

UniTS, which coordinates the activities of Spoke 8 of the iNEST (Interconnected North-East) Innovation Ecosystem, is organising, as part of the Ecomondo 2025 fair in Rimini, on 5th November (from 10:30), a workshop focused on the project and public-private collaborations towards digital twins in the (northern) Adriatic Sea.

"This project is dedicated to the development of sustainable technologies and solutions for the marine environment, mobility by sea and inland waterways and the digital transformation of companies in the sector.’ – explains prof. Pierluigi Barbieri, iNEST Coordinator for the University of Trieste – ‘The strategic objective of the project is developing data acquisition models and systems, software, and user interfaces, necessary for the creation of the Digital Twin of the Upper Adriatic, an advanced digital model of the marine-coastal system that will make it possible to improve monitoring, planning and management of maritime resources and activities, in line with the European mission Restore our Ocean and Waters".

Between 2023 and 2024, the University of Trieste applied to several calls under Spoke 8 to finance 24 industrial research and development projects, funding €5,559,535.95 (granted from the NextGenerationEU funds of the Recovery and Resilience Facility). Forty-four companies (30 from Triveneto and 14 from Mezzogiorno) and 9 research institutions have benefited from this co-financing, for projects with a total value of €7,790,800.90. Six companies are classified by turnover and number of employees as ‘large enterprises’. The universities and research institutions involved in these calls are 9, all from Southern Italy.

Spoke 8 activities are divided into five thematic areas: Hydrosphere biology – new systems for biomonitoring and restoration of marine habitats; Chemical and physical risks and impacts on the hydrosphere – innovative technologies for contaminant control and water management; Sustainable mobility by sea and inland waters – prototypes and charging systems for electric navigation; Integrated maritime and territorial land-sea planning – smart solutions for climate change adaptation; Digital Twin of the Northern Adriatic – digital models and infrastructures for the simulation of meteorological and environmental scenarios.

"With these projects – concludes prof. Pierluigi Barbieri – we are networking companies and research centres to promote innovation, sustainability and industrial competitiveness, contributing to the development of the Blue Economy in the North-East and in the whole country. The workshop will include a discussion, mediated by the Alto Adriatico Technological Pole, with the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency, and with institutons and companies on the Adriatic coast - Marche and Puglia in particular - in the think tank ‘The Blue Way’, to develop mutual knowledge and outline innovation projects guided by territorial research and development".

THE PROGRAMME:

Workshop ‘iNEST Innovation Ecosystem and public-private collaborations towards digital twins in the (northern) Adriatic Sea’

10:30 Introduction:

Pierluigi Barbieri, iNEST Coordinator, University of Trieste: ‘The iNEST Ecosystem and Research-driven innovation in the Blue Economy: where we are today’

Diego Santaliana, Alto Adriatico Technological Hub – ‘Building relations between research organisations and businesses at the Innovation Melting Pot-Urban Center in Trieste and grounding strategic projects’

Maria Cristina Pedicchio, President of APRE, KIC OneWater proposal ‘Making the Oceans Mission in the Adriatic macro-region concrete’

Salvatore Dore, Technology transfer and partnerships, University of Trieste ‘Technological transfer at the University of Trieste and responses to the challenges of the business system’

10:50 Contributions from Spoke 8 of the iNEST Innovation Ecosystem:

Stefano Querin OGS – Luca Manzoni UniTS – iNEST Spoke 8 Research Topic 5: ‘The contributions of research organisations and companies to the creation of digital twins in the Northern Adriatic’

Ludovico Centis iNEST Spoke 8 Research Topic 4: ‘Integration of information and planning in changing coastal systems’

11:10 Flash presentations: Results of the Waterfall Calls and the CC2 Proof of Concept call (Alessandra Citterio-DBA Group, Giuseppe Borruso-GEP Lab UniTS, BaC winners).

11:30 Giulia Carboni - Programme Coordination Manager for Sustainable Blue Economy at CINEA - European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency - ‘EU Key perspectives in sustainable innovation’

11:45 Roundtable ’The Blue Way Think Tank. Climate, infrastructure, environment: shared energy and projects in the Adriatic area’: Barbieri (UniTS), Santaliana (PoloAA), Querin (OGS), Alberto Monachesi (Typicality in Blue); Q&A.

12:30 Closing of the workshop

Project ‘iNEST Interconnected Nord-Est Innovation Ecosystem’, ECS_00000043, is part of the research programme for the innovation ecosystem from the resources of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), M4C2 – Investment 1.5 Creation and strengthening of ‘Innovation Ecosystems for Sustainability’, funded by the European Union, NextGenerationEU – CUP J43C22000320006.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The new Specialisation Schools in detail

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

‘The European Convention on Human Rights in the dialogue between supranational and national courts’ was the theme at the heart of the inaugural conference of the Master's Degree in Law at the University of Trieste for the academic year 2025-2026. 

The event, which took place in the Main Hall of Building A in Piazzale Europa, was organised by the Department of Legal, Language, Interpreting and Translation Sciences (IUSLIT) in collaboration with the Advanced School of Magistracy (SSM) and was attended by guests of the highest academic and professional standing.

Welcoming addresses were given by the Rector, Donata Vianelli, and the Master's Degree Programme Coordinator, Nicola Muffato. Rector Vianelli highlighted the programme's excellent placement results, which ranked second in Italy in terms of graduate employment rates, according to recent reports in the national press based on AlmaLaurea data.

Gloria Carlesso, Judge of the Court of Trieste and SSM contact point for training, opened the seminar by recalling two important anniversaries: 25 years since the proclamation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (Nice, 2000) and 75 years since the signing of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in Rome in 1950. Carlesso emphasised the need to reflect on the weight of words such as freedom and dignity, planted as ‘seeds’ in the post-war period, and illustrated the coexistence of three systems for safeguarding fundamental rights: the Italian Constitution (Italian Constitutional Court), the ECHR (Strasbourg Court) and the Charter of the European Union (Court of Justice).

Next, the Head of the IUSLIT Department, Gian Paolo Dolso, highlighted the complex and interdisciplinary nature of legal phenomena. Dolso highlighted the importance of the supranational level, which intersects with the national level, citing Article 117(1) of the Italian Constitution (amended in 2001), which binds legislative power to international obligations, including the ECHR.

The heart of the conference then focused on the speeches of three distinguished guests.

Raffaele Sabato, Judge for Italy at the European Court of Human Rights, gave a presentation on ‘The origin, interpretation and effectiveness of ECHR rules’. Sabato retraced the establishment of the Council of Europe after the Second World War, with the aim of subjecting respect for fundamental human values to international supervision. The Judge then analysed the mechanisms for applying the Convention, in particular the principle of subsidiarity, which requires the exhaustion of domestic appeals before appealing to Strasbourg. He discussed the doctrine of the ‘living instrument’ (which evolves according to European consensus), the doctrine of ‘autonomous concepts’ (to avoid ‘label fraud’ by states) and the importance of precedent (typical of Anglo-Saxon law) in the application of the ECHR. Finally, he provided data on the Court's pending cases, noting that Italy, despite being in seventh place among the Court's major ‘clients’ as of September 2025, has recurring violations in the area of property protection (Article 1, Protocol 1) and non-execution of final judgments, as in cases of municipal bankruptcy.

Pietro Franzina, full professor of international law at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, discussed ‘Human rights in the process of European integration, between the European Convention on Human Rights and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union’. Franzina reconstructed the historical evolution of integration, which began without explicit references to fundamental rights in the original treaties. He highlighted how the Court of Justice was the first to intervene, developing fundamental rights as general principles of Community law based on ‘common constitutional traditions’. The professor clarified that the Charter of Nice (2000), although it now has the same legal value as the Treaties, applies to Member States only when they implement Union law. Franzina touched on the issue of the failure to complete the EU's ongoing programme of accession to the ECHR and concluded with the concrete example of the Directive on SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation), which aims to combat intimidating legal actions against journalists and activists, defending freedom of expression.

Finally, Nicola Lupo, full professor of constitutional law at LUISS Guido Carli University in Rome, analysed ‘The European Convention on Human Rights and the Italian Constitution’. Lupo urged that the role of the legislator, whose work is made extremely complex by the international and supranational regulatory framework, should not be undermined. He warned against viewing the dialogue between the courts as a struggle, arguing that relations are predominantly collaborative, even in cases of known conflict (such as the Taricco case). The professor lamented Italy's failure to ratify Protocol No 16 of the ECHR, which would allow higher national courts to refer questions to the Strasbourg Court for a preliminary ruling, calling it a ‘missed opportunity’. In closing, Lupo described the Italian Constitution as a ‘triangular constitution’, constantly evolving and supplemented by interpretation in accordance with EU law and the ECHR.

A study published in Arthritis & Rheumatology clarifies, through clinical, tissue and laboratory data, why the risk of cardiovascular events is so high in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The research was carried out in collaboration between Giacomo Emmi, immunologist and Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Trieste, and the research teams of Matteo Becatti, Claudia Fiorillo and Domenico Prisco at the University of Florence.

SLE is a systemic autoimmune disease that can affect several organs. In Italy it affects more than 60,000 people, mostly women of childbearing age. For those affected, the risk of arterial and venous thrombosis can be two to ten times higher than in the general population. The underlying cause is not limited to cholesterol or blood pressure, but primarily linked to the chronic inflammation characteristic of the disease.

At the centre of this process is oxidative stress, the imbalance between oxidising substances produced by our cells and the antioxidant defences that should neutralise them. In SLE patients, certain immune cells – neutrophils – are abnormally active and fuel this imbalance. In such an oxidative environment, fibrinogen, the protein forming the network of the blood clot, behaves differently: the fibres become denser and less permeable, and the clots harder to dissolve. This mechanism directly connects inflammation to thrombotic risk.

The study involved 144 adult SLE patients and 90 healthy controls. Blood analyses documented higher oxidative stress in patients and its correlation with disease activity. Tissue observations confirmed the picture: in renal biopsies from individuals with active lupus nephritis (inflammation of the kidneys), the same mechanism was evident precisely where inflammation was most intense, demonstrating that it is not only a circulating phenomenon but also causes damage at the organ level.

To confirm the causal link, the team reproduced the phenomenon in the laboratory. When fibrinogen was exposed to an oxidative environment, the clots became more compact and resistant; when a reference antioxidant was added, the effect disappeared. The sequence is thus clear: more inflammation → more oxidative stress → altered fibrinogen → clots harder to dissolve.

‘These results provide a deeper understanding of the connection between autoimmune disease and cardiovascular complications,’ says Professor Giacomo Emmi, who teaches at the Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences of the University of Trieste and is Head of the Clinical Medicine Unit and Scientific Coordinator of the local health authority (ASUGI).

‘Oxidative stress,’ explains Emmi, ‘emerges as a new potential therapeutic target. Alongside the management of traditional risk factors and disease activity, future therapies could aim to modulate these oxidative circuits to more effectively protect the heart and blood vessels of patients with lupus.’

Reference: ROS-induced modifications of fibrin clots connect immune responses to atherothrombosis in systemic lupus erythematosus, in Arthritis & Rheumatology. DOI: 10.1002/art.43371.

On 10th October, the University of Trieste joins the World Mental Health Day, promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH). The 2025 edition focuses on mental health in humanitarian emergencies and, in particular, on access to services for people affected by crises and disasters.

According to the latest WHO data, almost one in seven people worldwide (around 1.1 billion) live with a mental disorder. Anxiety and depression are among the most common diagnoses. Despite the existence of effective prevention and treatment interventions, many people still do not receive adequate support and face stigma and discrimination. In this context, the University of Trieste reaffirms its commitment to promoting awareness, equitable access and early prevention.

The University’s contribution
To mark the Day, on Thursday 10th October in Pordenone, the Regional Congress of the Italian Society of Psychiatry – Friuli Venezia Giulia Section (SIP) will take place, focusing on the relationship between mental illness and addiction. The University of Trieste will be represented by Umberto Albert, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Head of the Psychiatric Clinic of the local health authority ASUGI, and regional president of SIP.

‘The frequent comorbidity between psychiatric disorders and addiction is of growing importance, particularly among young people,’ explains Albert, who teaches in the Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences. ‘The onset of psychiatric disorders, their clinical presentation and treatment outcomes can be profoundly influenced by substance use, including new psychoactive substances. For this reason, mental health and addiction professionals are called to adopt integrated and coordinated care models based on the concept of dual diagnosis, thereby overcoming the traditional separation between pathways and services.’