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Area Science Park with the Council of Presidents shares the feelings of horror, grief, indignation, and anguish over the dramatic humanitarian crisis suffered by the Palestinian population as a result of the military actions undertaken by the Israeli Government in the territory of the Gaza Strip. The brutal terrorist attack carried out by Hamas on October 7, 2023, can in no way justify what is being inflicted upon Palestinian civilians, who are victims of continuous attacks, bombings, and famine. It condemns the actions that have caused and continue to cause thousands of civilian deaths, including a very large number of children. It also condemns the obstruction of humanitarian aid access, in blatant violation of international humanitarian law, and the destruction of essential civilian infrastructure. This tragedy has led the International Court of Justice to declare the risk of a violation of the Genocide Convention, a conclusion confirmed by a special United Nations commission, which stated that Israel’s conduct of war in Gaza “bears the characteristics of genocide.” It recalls that the fundamental principles enshrined in the Italian Constitution and in international law require respect for human rights, the rejection of war, and the promotion of peace and cooperation among peoples. It reaffirms the steadfast commitment of the scientific research community to peace, as expressed in recent weeks by the staff of Public Research Institutions and Universities, as well as by various scientific and academic institutions. We endorse the words of the appeal issued by the National Academy of the Lincei, calling to “recognize the non-negotiable sacredness of the lives of children, women, and men, even in the Gaza Strip.” It expresses appreciation for the positions taken by the Israeli Academy of Sciences and Humanities and by the rectors of the main Israeli universities, who have called on the Israeli Government to undertake clear and decisive initiatives to preserve human lives in the Gaza Strip. It affirms that dialogue and diplomacy are the means for resolving conflicts and emphasizes the importance of the role of scientific and cultural diplomacy as tools for building international cooperation in favor of peace. Area Science Park therefore commits itself to promoting and strengthening specific support measures for students and researchers from Palestine, as well as from other areas affected by conflicts; to encouraging initiatives of scientific and educational cooperation with institutions from all countries in order to contribute to the affirmation and strengthening of a culture of peace, dialogue, and inclusion; to reaffirming the role of the scientific community as dedicated not only to the advancement of knowledge but also to the protection of fundamental rights and the building of conditions for peaceful coexistence among individuals and peoples; and to upholding the very nature and foundation of science as a space of cooperation, dialogue, and peaceful and collaborative exchange among individuals and peoples, beyond any border, diversity, or conflict.

The second edition of the Master in Data Management and Curation (MDMC), organised by Area Science Park and SISSA – International School for Advanced Studies, started on 22 September. This post-graduate advanced training course provides young researchers as well as professionals with advanced skills in managing research data according to the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable). This approach has become essential to ensure the quality, integrity and reusability of scientific data and to promote a culture of open science at the international level. The programme was recently presented at CERN by Mariarita de Luca and Federica Bazzocchi from Area Science Park during the Open Science Fair 2025, held in Geneva from 15 to 17 September. On that occasion, the theme of FAIR data and the advanced skills required for their management was discussed as a key element in supporting the next generation of researchers. “Today data drive discovery, innovation and decision-making,” explain the researchers from Area Science Park. “For this reason, the ability to manage and curate them responsibly is crucial. Ours is a pioneering training programme that embraces the ‘FAIR-by-design’ paradigm, going beyond theory: instead of retrofitting datasets to FAIR criteria, MDMC students learn to integrate the FAIR principles from the earliest stages of data planning within the broader context of Open Science. This innovative approach is made possible thanks to the strong collaboration between Area Science Park and SISSA, which provides a dynamic ecosystem of research and innovation”. The second edition of the Master brings together 15 students from 7 different countries, with academic backgrounds ranging from Genetics to Electronics, Physics to Data Science, as well as Linguistics, Psychology, Economics and Mathematics. The 2025–2026 class also stands out for its diverse backgrounds: 3 students already hold a PhD, 7 have a Master’s degree and 5 a Bachelor’s degree. The programme lasts ten months and combines lectures, laboratory activities and internship periods at research centres and high-tech companies. Its aim is to train professionals capable of working as Data Stewards, Data Curators, Data Engineers and Data Managers in both scientific and industrial contexts. More specifically, the structure of the course includes eight intensive weeks of in-person lectures and hands-on exercises, followed by six months of internship in cutting-edge research laboratories or data-intensive institutions. During this period, students implement FAIR-by-design workflows and pipelines in real scientific contexts. This model provides a unique opportunity to work closely with researchers, develop tailored data management strategies and face the practical challenges of semantic interoperability, metadata standards and sustainable infrastructures. By training versatile, practice-oriented data professionals, the MDMC contributes to shaping a new generation of researchers capable of transforming data from a mere research product into a strategic asset, crucial for both academic excellence and data-driven innovation. For further details, see the course’s scientific programme. Watch the video featuring testimonials from students of the first 2024–25 edition.

From September 7 to 12, 2025, Portorož hosted the 17th Multinational Congress on Microscopy (17MCM), a key meeting point for scientists and industry experts. Held biennially, the event serves as a showcase of excellence for the latest breakthroughs achieved through advanced microscopy techniques, while also highlighting the newest theoretical and instrumental innovations.  Within the special session “IMPRESS: Shaping the Future of Interoperable TEM”, which gathered 80 experts, Regina Ciancio, IMPRESS Project Coordinator at Area Science Park, outlined the main objective of the initiative: to develop an interoperable and standardized platform for transmission electron microscopy (TEM), with the potential to transform the field.  IMPRESS aims to create modular components designed with open and standardized interfaces, a promising pathway to revolutionize the way electron microscopy is conceived and used. These prototypes, developed in close collaboration with SMEs in the sector and the scientific community, are designed to be adaptable to different instruments, ensuring maximum flexibility for diverse research needs.  “This is how we can innovate in the field of TEM: by promoting interoperability by design, flexibility in practice, and co-development that turns ideas into concrete solutions, addressing the needs of different communities,” emphasized Regina Ciancio during her talk. “Everything we develop is born open and is enriched through user contributions.”  The discussion clearly underscored the need to strengthen the link between electron microscopy and the broader scientific ecosystem. The creation of shared standards, the dissemination of open knowledge, and the joint involvement of SMEs and researchers are key levers to ensure that projects like IMPRESS can change not only how instruments are designed and used, but also how collaboration between scientific and industrial communities takes shape.  In the exhibition area, Area Science Park also presented a poster on the RIANA project, which aims to provide academic and industrial researchers with transnational, integrated access to a strategic set of European research infrastructures, fostering the development of multidisciplinary projects in the field of nanoscience and nanotechnology.

The first edition of the ScaleUp Lab Summer School, an initiative promoted by Area Science Park to support innovative startups in their growth journey and developed within the IP4FVG-EDIH project, has officially come to a close. The Summer School, dedicated to startups in the digital and deep-tech sectors, was created to help newly established companies define their business development strategies, with a particular focus on growth, scalability and resilience. The programme, which involves startups from all over Italy, is structured in three stages. The first stage, which has just concluded today in Trieste, consisted of a one-week residential Summer School. The programme combined contributions from Area Science Park experts with talks delivered by internationally renowned speakers, including: Alexander Osterwalder, CEO of Strategyzer and co-creator (together with Yves Pigneur) of the Business Model Canvas, recognised as one of the most influential management tools worldwide; Alberto Di Minin, Professor of Management at the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa; and Alvise Bonivento, Director of the venture capital fund Indaco Venture Partners. The second stage will involve business development experts from Area Science Park acting as coaches for the startups, providing an additional three-month field validation focused on testing and iterating their business models. This work is designed to guide the startups towards the third stage: a Pitch Day attended by leading Italian investment funds, where startups will have the opportunity to engage directly with market players and test the soundness of their ideas. “The Summer School is a high value-added activity for Area Science Park,” emphasised President Caterina Petrillo, “as it forms part of an ongoing process of continuously updating models and strategies for innovation in support of enterprise generation—fields in which our organisation has a long and consolidated track record. This programme, truly unique in its kind, combines theoretical and practical training and provides participating startups with direct access to tools and specialised knowledge thanks to interaction and dialogue with international experts.” “Without a working business model, even the best technology will not reach the market and certainly will not scale,” explained Alexander Osterwalder. “The first business model you come up with will probably be wrong, which is why you need to test it and put it under constant trial and scrutiny. Without the right tools, this is very difficult. That’s where the Business Model Canvas comes in: a very simple visual tool to map out and bring to light the logic of your company’s business, making ideas very concrete and visible so they can be shared with investors and team members. The Business Model Canvas is a universal tool, and I believe that in the technological and deep-tech fields in particular, its use is even more important.” “To prepare for investors, there are two fundamental things,” stressed Alvise Bonivento: “having a very clear idea of your business—not only your technology but also your go-to-market strategy—and learning to understand the investor: knowing who they are, what their needs are, and how they can support you. Every venture capitalist always looks at three things: competitive and technological advantage, the presence of an outstanding team—both technically and managerially—and the existence of a market ready to absorb that new technology or innovation.” “Deep-tech companies need to work with players who believe in integrating their technologies with those of others,” recommended Alberto Di Minin, “in order to align business models and jointly develop an open innovation strategy. Open innovation is crucial for a deep-tech startup for one very simple reason: it is needed to complete an innovation pathway that is also being developed within other companies.” Concluding this first step of the ScaleUp Lab pathway, Roberto Pillon, Head of the Enterprise Generation Office at Area Science Park, remarked: “We created ScaleUp Lab in full awareness of the importance of working on developing the skills of new innovative companies, which need to grow and equip themselves with all the necessary tools to face the market and bring innovation to life. After the Summer School, the programme will continue over the next three months, providing startups with support, coaching and mentoring in developing their business projects, and culminating in a Pitch Day event with a group of investors.” The IP4FVG-EDIH project is financed under Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) – Mission 4, Component 2 (M4C2), Investment 2.3 – “Strengthening and expanding the thematic and territorial scope of technology transfer centres for industrial segments.” It is funded by the European Union’s Next Generation EU programme, with the goal of fostering the adoption of digital and green technologies by businesses and public administrations.

Imagine a universal translator that, instead of turning English into Italian, can decode the language of the proteins that make up viruses. Such a “translator” already exists: Artificial Intelligence. And it is reshaping the fight against viral diseases, from pandemic preparedness to the development of treatments. This was the key message from international experts who, today in Trieste, outlined the latest frontiers of computational virology during the workshop “AI in Virology: Leveraging AI to Advance Our Understanding of Viruses”, hosted by the Virology Unit of Area Science Park. For decades, the only way to study a virus was to grow it in the laboratory and observe its behaviour — a slow and costly process. Genetics then opened the door to reading its “instruction book”: the genome. Now AI goes further, learning the “grammar” and “syntax” of proteins — the molecular machines that allow a virus to invade cells and replicate. “New language models for proteins are like artificial brains trained on millions of biological sequences,” explains Giuditta De Lorenzo, virologist at Area Science Park. “From a single sequence of amino acids, they can identify which mutations are possible and which would instead ‘break’ the protein. This makes it possible to predict how a newly discovered virus might evolve — a crucial skill if we want to stay ahead of future pandemics. For example, our upcoming research at Area will focus on the impact of viral infection on the cell: how viruses disrupt its contents. And in collaboration with our Data Engineering Laboratory, we will also work on developing vaccines that are more effective, more stable, and designed to take into account the dynamic behaviour of viral particles   Ultra-rapid vaccines thanks to “Reverse Vaccinology 3.0” One of the most tangible impacts of AI will be on the development of vaccines and therapeutic antibodies. The so-called “Reverse Vaccinology 3.0” uses AI to instantly analyse the structure of viral proteins and identify their “Achilles’ heel” — the precise point at which antibodies can strike. “The huge advantage of Reverse Vaccinology 3.0,” explains Emanuele Andreano of the Biotecnopolo Foundation in Siena, “is the ability to discover antigens for vaccine candidates at unprecedented speed. Thanks to AI, and to advances in human immunology, it is now possible to quickly identify antibodies capable of killing a pathogen and then, from the antibody sequence, determine the target — the antigen on the surface of the virus or bacterium. This leap allows us to skip years of in vivo testing, understanding from the outset what works and what doesn’t. At the Biotecnopolo Foundation in Siena, our most important mission is to develop vaccines and monoclonal antibodies against viruses or bacteria with pandemic potential, such as the case of the monkeypox virus.” However, as noted at the workshop, this immense computing power comes with very high costs. Behind these breakthroughs are supercomputers that consume enormous amounts of energy. The public must be aware that AI, while extremely powerful, is also very expensive and demands significant investment in infrastructure.   A promising future, but one to be governed with caution The ability to read, interpret, and even “imagine” new proteins is not just an opportunity but also a profound responsibility, experts warned. “We must create shared international rules and robust control frameworks to ensure that this extraordinary scientific revolution is used solely for the benefit of humanity,” stresses Alessandro Marcello, virologist at ICGEB. “We have to consider the dual-use potential of AI, which can be very beneficial for medicine and public health, but could also pose risks if it fell into the wrong hands, given how relatively easy it could become to obtain protocols for producing highly pathogenic viruses. We must act synergistically on multiple levels: among AI developers, within the scientific community, and at the legislative level, to establish laws and regulations that, while not stifling research and innovation, protect society from these potential dangers”.