Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste at Trieste Next 2026

For three days, from 25 to 27 September, science returned to the heart of Trieste with Trieste Next – Festival of Scientific Research. Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste once again took part in the festival, bringing to Piazza Unità some of the topics at the forefront of research today: from smart materials and new frontiers in nanomedicine to technologies that could shape the particle accelerators of the future.

At the Area Science Park exhibition space, Elettra colleagues welcomed students, families and visitors, working together to present Elettra and FERMI, the research carried out at the two facilities and the people who make it possible every day. Through two interactive quizzes, visitors discovered how synchrotron light and free-electron lasers can be used to investigate matter and understand its properties and transformations, with applications ranging from medicine and advanced materials to environmental science and cultural heritage. The activities also offered a glimpse into the future of the facility through Elettra 2.0.

This shared effort brought together different areas of expertise and experience, extending from conversations at the stand to the scientific events held throughout the Festival.

What makes a material “smart”? And how will research change as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into laboratory experiments? These were among the questions explored during “Intelligence in Materials”, moderated by Loredana Casalis, Head of Elettra’s NanoInnovation Laboratory. Starting from nature’s ability to store information in the structure of molecules, and from the way changes at the atomic scale can alter a material’s properties, the discussion broadened to the evolving relationship between researchers and machines, new approaches to scientific discovery, and the implications for how knowledge is produced, shared and learned. The panel featured Alessandro Baraldi of the University of Trieste, Nicola Marzari of the University of Cambridge, EPFL and PSI, and Caterina Serra, writer and coordinator of the Future of Writing project at EPFL.

At a different scale, that of DNA, “Beyond the Double Helix: DNA and Nanomedicine”, organised in collaboration with CERIC-ERIC, explored how a molecule most commonly associated with genetic information can offer possibilities extending well beyond its best-known function. “Non-canonical” DNA structures are at the centre of research investigating new technological and biomedical applications, from platforms for detecting pathogenic viruses to the study of interactions with genes associated with different diseases. Moderated by Marcello Turconi of CERIC-ERIC, the event featured Silvia Rotondi of the Joint Research Centre and Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste, Elisa De Piante of the Slovenian NMR Centre and Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste, and Matteo Castronovo of the University of Leeds.

The focus then shifted from the smallest scales to the large-scale machines that allow scientists to explore them. “Particle Accelerators of the Future” looked at how new plasma acceleration technologies could pave the way for more compact and accessible research infrastructures. This is the direction being pursued by European projects such as EuPRAXIA and PACRI (Plasma Accelerator Components for Research Infrastructures). PACRI, coordinated by Gerardo D’Auria of Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste, provided the framework for a discussion with Mariastefania De Vido of the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Alessio Del Dotto of INFN-Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati and Martina Del Giorno, high-power laser technician at the same Laboratories.

From molecules to large-scale research infrastructures, Trieste Next was above all an opportunity to tell the story of Elettra through the people who work here. Colleagues from different areas and with different expertise came together to engage the public with research not only through its results, but also through the questions, experiences and knowledge that drive it forward. This collective effort made the three days of Trieste Next a valuable opportunity for engagement and exchange for the Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste community itself.