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.

Human Rights Day is observed annually around the world on 10th December and commemorates the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, proclaimed in Paris in 1948. This landmark document enshrines the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being - regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

This year's theme, ‘Our Rights, Our Future, Right Now’, is a call to acknowledge the importance and relevance of human rights in our everyday lives. 

We have an opportunity to change perceptions by speaking up against hate speech, correcting misinformation and countering disinformation. As UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said, ‘Human rights are the foundation for peaceful, just, and inclusive societies.’

The new Innovator Community Lab (ICL) of the University of Trieste has been officially presented, a training course dedicated to innovation and young entrepreneurship that continues and renews the role of the CLab.

The ICL project will have a strong international vocation and will see the introduction of significant structural innovations: the lab, which will still be aimed at UniTS students wishing to develop an entrepreneurial project based on an original idea, will award participants with training credits that will form part of the student’s university career.

At the end of the one-year course, the new programme will award five scholarships worth 5,000 euros each for the best students and participation in short training stays. Starting this year, two winners will travel as visiting students to a major innovation centre.

The call for applications for the new Innovator Community Lab 2025, presented at the meeting, will select 30 UniTS students to start entrepreneurial training. The deadline for applications is 20th January 2025, all information is available on the Innovator Community Lab portal.

The announcement of the new ICLab was made during the annual event that concludes the CLab’s activities: the evening had opened with a round table entitled ‘The revolution of failure: the engine of innovation’. Moderated by Cristiano Degano, Regional President of the Order of Journalists, the discussion was attended by experts and business leaders such as Elisabeth Weingraber, business consultant; Gerd Pircher, CEO of HSBC Italy; Alberto Conta, Head of Administration of illycaffè; Susanna Martucci, CEO of Alisea Società Benefit; and Serena Zacchigna, Professor of Molecular Biology at UniTS and ICGEB Cardiovascular Biology Group Leader. The speakers offered young entrepreneurs insights on how to turn failure into an opportunity for growth and success.

The event also featured students from the course who, at the end of a year of training and coaching, transformed business ideas into structured projects ready for the market. The finalists presented the projects they had developed in a wide range of fields using frontier technologies in strategic sectors or with fast-growing markets: from artificial intelligence to renewable energies, from sustainable home heating to the enhancement of Made in Italy, to the development of platforms for customising fantasy games.

The winners of this edition were Leonardo Zamparini, a Physics student, and Valentina Coggiola, a Marketing & Management student, with the BrusaDoor project, and three Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics students - Ivan Buttignon, Tommaso Moro and Enrico Savorgnan – with the LiteAI project.

BrusaDoor proposes the development of an infrared radiant door for home heating, with an innovative design and intelligent management that optimises space and ensures thermal comfort, effectively integrating heating and interior design.

LiteAI, on the other hand, aims to provide tools that can improve children’s educational experience, offering fully customised, inclusive learning paths focused on the development of soft skills through playful-pedagogical activities.

Finally, during the meeting, the new Innovator Community Lab 2025 call for proposals was presented, which will continue its objective of training young entrepreneurs and supporting the growth of innovation. The University of Trieste thus confirms its role as promoter of young entrepreneurship, enhancing the talent and creativity of its students.

‘Congratulations to the winners and to all the participants in the training course,’ concluded Rodolfo Taccani, Deputy Rector for Technology Transfer. ‘All the students involved have demonstrated creativity, determination and a high level of entrepreneurial spirit. We are proud as a university to contribute to the training of a generation of innovators that our entrepreneurial system sorely needs.’

A dynamic sector, ready to face the challenges of innovation and diversification. This is the conclusion of the report of the FVG Metalworking Observatory, in which the DEAMS Department of UniTS has participated, providing cases and evidence of this phenomenon.

Area Science Park, the University of Udine and Intesa Sanpaolo were also scientific partners in the project.

These are the three main themes that emerged from the report:

International Vocation

The engineering sector represents 46% of the regional manufacturing industry, with an electromechanical specialisation (94% of the engineering sector). In the November 2024 snapshot, the sector ‘held up’ better than predicted in the June flash report, with 5,114 companies (-0.3% compared to November 2023, instead of -0.7%), while the rest of manufacturing performed in line with forecasts. The province of Udine, which accounts for 45% of the regional companies, is the area that has recorded the largest decline since 2021 (-2.3%). The province of Pordenone remained stable with 32% of the companies. The tendency towards internationalisation remains strong (41% of companies); exports are more widespread among medium and large companies, which are often innovative and certified.

Diversification and Economic Performance

Intesa Sanpaolo's internal survey of its commercial network shows that FVG companies are increasing the geographical diversification of their sales and supply markets, above the Italian average. In 2023, turnover growth at current prices was 22.5%, with an improvement in margins (+2 points compared to 2019), driven by foreign operations (growth of 25.9%) and participation in the construction supply chain.

Business Diversification Strategies

In a rapidly changing market, FVG companies are exploring new strategies: some are focusing on geographical or sectoral diversification to grow or to avoid crises, while others are strengthening their presence in existing markets. However, diversification requires transversal skills and the ability to adapt to the rules of new markets not possessed by all companies.