The Science Research Festival Trieste NEXT 2025

The fourteenth edition of Trieste Next, the Festival of Scientific Research, took place from 26 to 28 September under this year’s theme “Life Within. Dialogues Between Science and Technology.” As per tradition, the event welcomed thousands of visitors, both Italian and international, who attended a wide range of activities including events, workshops, and conferences.

The participation of our research center in the festival reaffirms the importance of scientific research in public dialogue and in shaping future generations of researchers.
Three Conferences in Partial Collaboration with CERIC – All Sold Out

Inside the Drug: When the Shape of a Molecule Makes the Difference
Some drugs work perfectly, while others that are almost identical do not. The difference often lies in a tiny, invisible detail: chirality.
Today, science is studying this phenomenon with increasingly advanced tools to design safer and more effective therapies.
Moderated by Marcello Turconi, Head of Scientific Communication, CERIC-ERIC. Speakers: Majed Chergui, EPFL and University of Lausanne; Paola Storici, Elettra; Stephanie Federico, University of Trieste. (Watch the video here if you missed the session.) 

Art Forgery and Crime: The Responses of Science
Organized crime is increasingly financing illicit activities through the international trafficking of cultural heritage objects.
This panel focused on the role of advanced analytical techniques in preventing and combating this phenomenon. Thanks to collaboration between law enforcement and major research infrastructures, a multidisciplinary approach has made it possible to identify and monitor complex transnational criminal networks.
Moderated by Marcello Turconi, Head of Scientific Communication, CERIC-ERIC. Speakers: Gianluca Quarta, University of Salento and INFN Lecce; Vittoria Luda di Cortemiglia, consultant specializing in the prevention and fight against organized crime; Franco Zanini, Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste and Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. (Watch the video here) 

Research Centers: Connecting Ideas, Technologies, and People
This panel (held in English) addressed how scientific research requires strategic investment and how large-scale research infrastructures serve as concrete opportunities to build systems—meeting places for countries, expertise, visions, scientific cultures, and diverse approaches.
The discussion highlighted the value of targeted and sustainable investment, the training of highly qualified human capital, and the importance of international and interdisciplinary research systems capable of generating knowledge and transforming it into tangible applications for society.
Examples presented included Area Science Park, CERN, the CERIC-ERIC consortium, and the upgrade of the Elettra synchrotron, confirming Trieste’s role as a strategic European scientific hub.
Moderated by Marcello Turconi, Head of Scientific Communication, CERIC-ERIC. Speakers: Andrew Harrison, Central European Research Infrastructure Consortium CERIC-ERIC; Caterina Petrillo, Area Science Park; Alessandro Fabris, Elettra; Lilli Freda, EPOS ERIC (absent); Maurizio Vretenar, CERN. (Watch the video here.) 

Hands-On Activities in the Square: “Ultrabright Light for the Research of the Future – Discovering FELs” 
At the exhibition space in Piazza Unità, the activity “Ultrabright Light for the Research of the Future” ran for three days, open to the general public and with a special Friday morning edition for schools. Visitors explored what happens inside a material, a molecule, or a protein when investigated with light, discovering how FERMI works and learning about the upcoming Elettra 2.0.
The activity was a great success, attracting strong interest and engagement. Over 310 participants took part in a quiz, with 175 reaching the highest level, winning small prizes and making the experience even more fun and interactive.

On Sunday morning, our researchers entertained young and old alike with simple but surprising experiments: from electron-balls to cornstarch demonstrations of non-Newtonian fluids, from marshmallows expanding under a bell jar to water boiling without being heated. It was a moment to bring everyone closer to the world of Elettra, sharing the wonders of discovery and science.

Trieste Next International Academy
In addition to the conferences, a group of more than 60 students from the Trieste Next International Academy visited FERMI. The visit was part of an intensive three-day program designed for international bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD students, which included participation in special sessions on Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, and on Medical Sciences and Biotechnology, as well as lectures and workshops with renowned scientists and professionals.