The activities of the Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC) of the University of Trieste have officially begun, with the first joint meeting of the Governing Board and the Scientific Committee, which took place in the presence of the Rector Roberto Di Lenarda and the Director General Luciana Rozzini.

The Centre was established under the leadership of Matteo Cornacchia, Professor of General and Social Pedagogy, to promote the continuous training of university lecturers with a view to innovation and improvement in teaching, with the aim of improving the effectiveness of teaching in relation to the changing student population and the digital tools available.

The TLC will be a useful tool to strengthen the idea of the ‘university teacher’ that UniTS intends to promote.

‘The launch of the Teaching and Learning Centre,’ explains Matteo Cornacchia, ‘is one of the actions envisaged in the University's Strategic Plan 2023-2026. TLCs have long been present in foreign universities and, for some years now, they have also been becoming more widespread in Italy with the aim of accompanying and supporting the improvement of university teaching and the professional development of lecturers and researchers.’

Among the first initiatives is the introduction of a compulsory course for newly recruited lecturers to facilitate their induction and foster their professional growth. It will also provide support for the design and delivery of innovative training courses.

‘Their task,’ says Cornacchia, ’is to foster Faculty Development, i.e. the set of activities needed by university lecturers to improve their knowledge, teaching and assessment methodologies, relationships with students, and to be more effective overall in their work.'

The TLC Governing Board comprises all the components of the academic community: in its first formation, it includes lecturers Silvia Palmisano (DSM), Pierre Thibault (DF), Dolores Ferrara (IUSLIT), Stefano Fornasaro (DSCF) and Giovanni Grandi (DISPES), the administrative manager (identified by the Director General) Enrico Sartor, Samantha Tedesco representing the technical and administrative staff and Enrico Candotti as the student representative.

The Scientific Committee, on the other hand, is composed of Sara Cervai (DISPES), Gianfranco Sanson (DSM), Francesco Venier (DEAMS), Danilo Lewanski (MIGE), Valentina Beorchia (MIGE - as Interdepartmental Centre for Research on Educational - CIRD), Emanuele Carosati (DSCF), Maria Chiara Passolunghi (DSV), Giovanni Bacaro (DSV), Paolo Labinaz (DISU), Eric Medvet (DIA), Lorenzo Di Pietro (DF) and Stefano Ondelli (IUSLIT), ensuring the representation of all the University's departments.

During the inaugural meeting, the members of the Centre's two bodies engaged in an initial discussion of the tasks of the TLC, also in relation to similar bodies in Italy and abroad, and began planning future activities.

Today the University of Trieste presented four degree courses on the Gorizia Campus during the UniTS ‘Open Day’ event, aimed at final-year high school students. It took place in the Main Hall of the campus on via Alviano 18.

Four courses, which will also be based in Gorizia in the academic year 2025-2026, have been confirmed: the five-year integrated Master’s Degree in Architecture and the bachelor’s degrees in International Relations and Diplomatic Studies, Health Care and Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety.

The initiative registered a significant increase in attendance compared to previous editions (up by15% compared to 2024). More than 400 young people took a day off from preparing for their high school exams to gather useful information on the courses offered by the University of Trieste in Gorizia and to understand how to manoeuvre everything required of their future university lives: from enrolment to fee reduction, from scholarships to accommodation.

The young participants, who over the course of the morning visited the laboratories and talked with lecturers from degree courses, for the most part came from the provinces of Friuli Venezia Giulia. More than sixty came from outside the region, particularly from Veneto, but there were also participants from Brescia, Mantua and Bergamo, and from as far as Ancona, Lecce and Syracuse.

At present, 632 students enrolled in the four degree courses gravitate around the UniTS Gorizia campus, a significant number which has grown in recent years with the establishment of the two healthcare degree courses. 20% of the students enrolled in the UniTS university hub in Gorizia come from outside the region.

Giuseppe Grimaldi, a research assistant in Cultural Anthropology at the Department of Humanities of the University of Trieste, has been awarded the 2024 prize of the Italian Society of Applied Anthropology (SIAA) for the best collaborative and applied research with the project O.S.A.RE. - Osservatorio Sfruttamento Agricolo e Resistenze (Observatory on Agricultural Exploitation and Resistance).

The objectives achieved by O.S.A.RE. contribute to combating the exploitation and illegal brokerage of workers, providing data on the spread of the phenomenon and best practices for systemic projects that support the fight against these social scourges. According to the SIAA judging committee, the project, which focused on sensitive areas in Campania, stood out for ‘its significant social impact and multi-level interaction, as well as the high degree of visibility and recognition of the anthropological contribution.’

The project presented by the UniTS research assistant demonstrates, according to the SIAA, ‘how the production of ethnographic knowledge can contribute to generating concrete impacts on public and institutional culture, fostering virtuous local policies that are more respectful of fundamental human rights.’

This motivation aligns with the core mission of the Italian Society of Applied Anthropology, active since 2013 with the aim of promoting the social use of anthropological knowledge and practices in the public sphere, the world of work, decision-making processes, and participatory democracy in Italy and abroad.

‘O.S.A.RE – explains Dr Giuseppe Grimaldi – was made possible thanks to the support and synergy between public institutions, such as the Campania Region and the University of Salerno, activist groups in Campania – particularly the Ex Canapificio social centre, which was the lead organisation of the project – and a diverse group of residents from the area where the intervention took place, who contributed decisively to its realisation.’

O.S.A.RE involved territories such as the Piana del Sele and the Volturno Castle area, which face challenges related to the fragility of their economic fabric, exacerbated by the presence of criminal organisations that cause poverty and social distress.

The project sought to shed light – through a combination of quantitative analysis and ethnography – on the systemic nature of exploitation in the agricultural sector. Throughout its implementation, it was grounded in co-research (a collaborative method where creating knowledge also builds organisation and autonomy), demonstrating how the experience of those subjected to exploitation is crucial for defining effective countermeasures, both in specific territories and in interactions with institutions.

Over the course of the project, more than 500 people were interviewed. Of these, based on the exploitation indicators outlined in the law against the illegal brokerage of workers, nearly 70% were found to be in conditions of ‘severe worker exploitation.’ The data was presented to institutional forums addressing the illegal brokerage of workers, and the methodology underlying O.S.A.RE was recognised as a best practice used in systemic initiatives to tackle worker exploitation.

‘O.S.A.RE – concludes Grimaldi – highlighted, in particular, how ineffective any approach to combating worker exploitation is if it does not address the legal, economic, and social systems upon which it is founded. A phenomenon that, albeit in different forms depending on the degree of vulnerability, affects all agricultural labourers, regardless of nationality.’

Two professors from the Department of Life Sciences at the University of Trieste, geneticist Alberto Pallavicini and marine zoologist Piero Giulio Giulianini, spent a truly unique Christmas and New Year’s Eve at the Mario Zucchelli Antarctic Station.

Of course, this wasn’t an unconventional holiday in the snow but a mission the two UniTS professors are conducting as part of the DIMANT project, funded by the National Antarctic Research Program (PNRA). The project aims to study the immune mechanisms of marine species in the Ross Sea.

Pallavicini and Giulianini arrived at the Italian scientific base on December 20, after an extended stopover in New Zealand due to adverse weather conditions that prevented a safe landing on the Antarctic continent. The planned activities for the mission follow a rigorous schedule, and even on New Year’s Day, the two researchers conducted a sea excursion to collect samples for analysis.

The DIMANT project focuses on understanding how sponges, anemones, bivalve mollusks, and fish—organisms that play a fundamental role in the Antarctic ecosystem—respond to increasing environmental threats.

The research team is isolating and analyzing immunocytes—cells responsible for immune responses—to understand their reactivity to subzero temperatures and emerging pathogens. The growing human presence in Antarctica, driven by activities such as tourism, scientific research, and fishing, is intensifying the risk of introducing new pathogens and exacerbating the effects of rising global temperatures. This scenario presents a completely new challenge for the local marine fauna, which must rapidly adapt to an increasingly changing environment.

The biological samples collected will later undergo advanced cytological and genetic analyses to identify the molecules and receptors involved in immune defenses. The findings could provide valuable tools for monitoring and predicting the impact of climate change and emerging diseases on the Antarctic marine ecosystem.

Alberto Pallavicini and Piero Giulianini have another four weeks of work ahead of them, surrounded by ice, penguins, and polar birds, before concluding their mission.

Italian missions in Antarctica are conducted within the framework of the National Antarctic Research Program (PNRA), funded by the Ministry of Universities and Research (MUR) and coordinated by the National Research Council (CNR) for the scientific aspect, ENEA for logistics, and the National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics (OGS) for managing the icebreaker ship Laura Bassi.

The mission tied to the DIMANT project is part of the 40th Italian expedition to Antarctica, which currently involves approximately 240 researchers and technicians working on various interdisciplinary projects. The research spans fields such as marine biology, climatology, and studies on glacial systems and global climate change. Activities are conducted not only at the Mario Zucchelli Station, currently hosting the two University of Trieste professors, but also at the Concordia Station and aboard the Laura Bassi.

A study led by Prof. Luca Cegolon, a professor at the University of Trieste and researcher at ASUGI, in collaboration with Prof. Giuseppe Mastrangelo from the University of Padua, delved into the benefits of saltwater pools compared to traditional freshwater ones for treating skin diseases and rheumatic conditions. Published in the international journal Water, the study emphasizes the significant therapeutic potential of saltwater.

Saltwater has been used for centuries to alleviate various ailments, and today it forms the basis of treatments such as thalassotherapy, which utilizes controlled interaction with marine environments, including exposure to sunlight. This type of therapy is particularly beneficial for individuals suffering from psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, or rheumatic conditions such as fibromyalgia.

The combination of exposure to seawater and sunlight – a key component of thalassotherapy – is especially effective in reducing the symptoms of chronic inflammatory skin diseases, such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, as well as rheumatic conditions like fibromyalgia and ankylosing spondylitis.

For those with psoriasis, the benefits of immersion in seawater combined with sun exposure can last up to three months. Experimental studies have shown that six-week treatments using saltwater and UVB light are more effective than freshwater immersion or UV exposure alone.

Finally, a significant clinical trial involving over 1,200 patients across 102 dermatological clinics confirmed that saltwater baths followed by UVB exposure yield results comparable to established therapies like PUVA baths, traditionally used for treating psoriasis.

The Urology Clinic at Cattinara Hospital has received the prestigious "Orange Badge" for renal cancer treatment from the Italian Society of Urology (SIU).

This recognition represents an excellent achievement for the University of Trieste, rewarding the department led by Professor Giovanni Liguori, which also houses the Urology Specialization School of the University of Trieste.

The "Orange Badge" project, conceived by SIU, identifies Italian SIU urological centers that offer cutting-edge treatment for kidney cancer, as well as services dedicated to prevention, diagnosis, and care of the disease.

The recognition was granted based on specific criteria regarding diagnostic-therapeutic pathways and patient services for kidney cancer, which were fully met by the university’s facility.

The clinics that joined the initiative were evaluated by a Board of the Society, which also involved radiologists, pathologists, and oncologists, following a multidisciplinary approach based on the best scientific evidence and the latest international guidelines.

The goal of the Orange Badge, which is valid for two years, is to promote a culture of continuous improvement based on the paradigm of evidence-based medicine and value-based healthcare.

“We are proud to have received the 'Orange Badge',” says Giovanni Liguori, Professor of Urology at the Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences at UniTS and Director of the Urology Clinic at ASUGI Cattinara Hospital. “This recognizes the efforts of our team, which also includes Professor Paolo Umari, in managing this pathology.

We interpret this award not only as proof that multidisciplinary management is the key to kidney cancer treatment, but also as a recognition of the quality of training at UniTS, which, through the Urology Specialization School, prepares new generations of professionals with cutting-edge skills.”

The first training and accompaniment cycle of the SOCLAM Project - ‘Dental, cultural and linguistic support to migrants in the first reception centres’ - ended with certificates being awarded to mediators. 

The initiative saw the involvement of local associations and organisations offering a significant contribution to the migrant community in the area, and was led by UniTS and implemented under the scientific responsibility of Federico Berton (DSM) in collaboration with Caterina Falbo (IUSLIT) and Roberta Altin (DiSU).

Funded by the University's Centre for Research on Migration and Development Cooperation, the project provided specific training for interpreters in the most common languages among migrants crossing the Balkan route, focusing on dental and intercultural skills.

Thirteen mediators received comprehensive training that led to the creation of a dental glossary in 14 languages, including Dari, Pashto, Farsi, Turkish, Russian, Bulgarian, English, Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Hindi, Greek, Kyrgyz, Albanian and Bengali. In addition, a multilingual blog with useful instructions and accompanying support services was created at the Caritas dental clinic in Via dell'Istria, where the relationship dynamics between doctor and patient in an intercultural context were also analysed.

Thanks to the project, fundamental information was also disseminated to facilitate access to dental care provided by the University Hospital of Trieste in the Clinic of Maxillofacial Surgery and Odontostomatology of the local health services (ASUGI).

The success of SOCLAM has opened up new prospects, including the training of further operators and the development of research on intercultural communication in healthcare. Among the next objectives is the development of an app for smartphones, designed to offer multilingual information in a quick and accessible way. 

On December 19, students from the Administrative Procedural Law course at the Department of Political and Social Sciences (DISPeS) participated in an administrative trial simulation, an innovative educational experience promoted by Professor Andrea Crismani.

The activity revolved around the "L49 Wolf Case", a hypothetical legal proceeding inspired by real events concerning the management of wildlife. The case carried significant legal and social relevance, centering on the appeal of a provincial decree authorizing the culling of the L49 wolf, deemed a threat to public safety. Environmental associations "Animal Freedom," "Guardians of Nature," and "Green Planet" challenged the legality of the decree, setting the stage for a legal debate rich in legal and societal implications.

Students were assigned predefined roles such as plaintiffs, defendants, attorneys, and judges. They tackled all phases of the administrative process, including discussions on urgent precautionary measures, evidence analysis, party arguments, and the simulation of a ruling on the inadmissibility of the appeal following the wolf's natural death.

This experience allowed participants to delve into complex topics such as precautionary measures, collegial protections, and the legal implications of unforeseen events, providing them with a significant opportunity for practical learning. During the simulation, students engaged not only in drafting legal documents but also in filing them electronically, simulating the use of a dedicated administrative process portal.

The initiative highlighted the Department's and the Administrative Law chair's commitment to offering a curriculum that combines theory and practice. Thanks to this innovative teaching methodology, students gained both technical and soft skills essential for understanding the dynamics of administrative justice and preparing for the challenges of the professional world.

UniTS students now have a new ‘relax space’ in the basement of the DEAMS Department.

Thanks to contributions from local companies such as Modiano, NPV Investment, SME and Divulgando, the room now offers desks, stools, two football tables and shelves for book crossing, all based on students’ requests.

Apleona provided the room with an air-conditioner to regulate the temperature of the space.

The room is open to all University students from Monday to Friday from 7:45 to 20:00.

Rector Roberto Di Lenarda, Vice-Rector Valter Sergo, Director General Luciana Rozzini, Head of DEAMS Donata Vianelli, Stefano Crechici from Modiano, Valentino Pediroda from NPV Investment, Lucio Gomiero from SME, Riccamboni and Mereu from Divulgando were all present at the inauguration.

The 2024 FVG Digital Report ‘Business Strategies in the age of AI: How IT enterprises tackle and change the market’ analyses and describes how the many small and medium-sized companies in the digital world of FVG, with great dynamism, are generating new product and service offers related to Artificial Intelligence. 

A group of researchers and PhD students from DEAMS analysed how AI companies are ‘laying the groundwork’ for AI in its various forms with their customers. What are the business models of AI-based digital enterprises? Mainly two: niche and ‘digital tailoring’ applications and the classic ‘system integrator’. There are still few stand-alone solutions.

The Report produced by DITEDI, now in its fourth edition, was realised with the scientific contribution of the DEAMS Department of UniTS (in collaboration with colleagues from UniUD, Area Science Park and Banca Intesa Reserach Department), which reconstructed the technological, sector-based and market diversification strategies of mechanical engineering companies, identifying some development trajectories typical of the sector. 

The full report is available at https://fvgdigitale.ditedi.it

The 2024 data show that the number of ICT companies in the region (2908) is seeing a constant and regular increase. +2.4% compared to 2022, for a total of 2214 companies in Friuli Venezia Giulia operating in the ICT sector, up by 0.9% again compared to 2022, with the province of Udine representing the reference point for ICT companies in the region, as it hosts almost half of those identified.

Joint stock companies (1056 units) represent the prevalent corporate structure, accounting for 47.7% of the total, increasing by +1.7% since 2022. They are followed by sole proprietorships (812 units, 36.7%), which record a more significant nominal increase, with 31 more units compared to 2022, offsetting the decrease of 32 units among partnerships (318).

From an economic point of view, after a negative 2020, with a more pronounced decrease for the hardware sector and the recovery in 2021, 2022 was still a positive year, overall better than the pre-Covid period. On the other hand, 2023 settled for more modest increases in turnover, lower than the previous year except for service industries. Overall, there is a fluctuating trend over time, with an improvement in 2021, a decline in 2022 and a substantial hold in 2023, mainly in favour of operations management. With respect to offer type, the hardware sector also suffers the most in terms of profitability.

In any case, the regional digital sector represents a strong innovative drive for the local economy and business system. In fact, the ICT sector currently has 102 innovative start-ups, which operate mainly in software development and account for 52% of all regional start-ups. 

Other such signs can also be found in the innovation propensity indicator, which shows that 13% of companies in the regional ICT sector present at least one sign of innovation. Such companies represent 9% of all regional companies with an objective propensity for innovation.

Looking instead at patenting activity, a progressive increase since 2017 for both Italian and European filings immediately jumps out. While this trend is positive, it shows how in absolute terms the sector has a low propensity for patenting compared to much higher numbers in ‘analogue’ sectors.

The topic of the creditworthiness of companies belonging to the digital cluster was also examined in depth, thanks to the collaboration with Modefinance Srl. The analysis highlights that the credit profile of digital companies operating in FVG is solid and making steady progress through the years. At the same time, the average riskiness of companies in the sector appears limited. Therefore, we see a sector growing in a harmonious way without showing the ‘jerks’ typical of other IT contexts, such as those of America, which are on the contrary characterised by greater riskiness, but also by higher average growth rates.

The FVG digital ecosystem thus appears to be growing and ready for the AI challenge.