OGS at Trieste Next 2025

Trieste is preparing to once again host Trieste Next, the science research festival taking place in Piazza Unità d’Italia from 26 to 28 September 2025. Now in its fourteenth edition, the event is titled “Life Within. Dialogues between Science and Technology" and aims to explore how scientific and technological innovations are reshaping the relationship between individuals and society. Three days of meetings, reflection and discussion to collectively imagine a more sustainable, aware future that is open to interdisciplinary collaboration.

The OGS, in collaboration with the Miramare Marine Protected Area, ill be present at the festival with a 200-square-metre exhibition stand in Piazza Unità d’Italia, designed as a meeting point between scientific research and the public. This year, the stand will also host the Grotta Gigante, guiding visitors on a journey into the depths of the Earth. 

The theme chosen for this year’s exhibition space is “From Earth to Sea: Science and Technology for Studying the Environment” (“Dalla Terra al mare: scienza e tecnologia per studiare l’ambiente”), highlighting how research and innovation help us understand the natural world and address the challenges of a sustainable planet.

Here, the public will be able to experience an immersive journey through educational activities, scientific demonstrations, interactive games and augmented reality tours, enriched by direct dialogue with scientists on key topics such as natural hazards, climate change, polar regions, the sea and biodiversity.

The opening day on Friday 26 September will begin with a morning dedicated to schools, featuring a range of educational activities aimed at younger audiences, while in the afternoon and evening, from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., the festival will host the initiatives of SHARPER, European Researchers’ Night.

 

Waiting for SHARPER: OGS at Sumo Science

In anticipation of the European Researchers’ Night organised by SHARPER, the Sumo Science events are back: a fun and engaging opportunity to discover the many faces of science and to get to know more closely those who work in it every day. An original format, featuring a five-round challenge of questions and answers posed by a moderator to two researchers working in different fields. 

OGS will also take part in one of these events:

• Sumo Science at the pub: Astrophysics vs Marine Ecology showdown (Friday 19 September at 6:00 p.m., Aqvedotto Caffe, Viale XX Settembre 37/c).

 

OGS activities at SHARPER

From 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday 26 September, OGS will combine its Trieste Next activities with those organised as part of SHARPER European Researchers’ Night. The aim is to bring science closer to the public, explaining the work of researchers and its importance for society.

The OGS offers the following activities:

• Playtes: play and learn with plate tectonics (4:30 p.m. – 5:45 p.m., OGS stand, Piazza Unità).

Target audience: aged 5 and above

• On Board, a journey into inclusivity (8:45 p.m. – 10:00 p.m., OGS stand, Piazza Unità).

Target audience: 0–99 years

• STREET SCIENCE (5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., arcades of the Town Hall, Piazza Unità).

An event curated by SiS FVG, in which researchers from Trieste present short “street-style” mini-lectures to explain their small and large scientific discoveries in a simple and accessible way.

• Exhibit opening: “Giù negli abissi” (“Down into the abyss”) - (Immaginario Scientifico).

On 26 September, on the occasion of the European Researchers’ Night, the Immaginario Scientifico presents “Giù negli abissi”, a new interactive installation offering the public an immersive experience beneath the sea surface. The project is part of iNEST – Interconnected Nord-Est Innovation Ecosystem, a consortium promoting innovation and research in North-East Italy, with OGS among its main partners. The inauguration will also be attended by Paola del Negro, Director General of OGS.

 

OGS events at Trieste Next 2025

On Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 September, OGS’s participation in Trieste Next 2025 will continue with a wide range of additional activities and public events running in continuous rotation. The events will be curated by:

• Center for Seismological Research
• Section of Geophysics
• Section of Oceanography
• Centre for Management of Maritime Infrastructures
• Bulletin of Geophysics and Oceanography
• International Cooperation and Research Promotion​​​​​​​

There will also be a shared participatory space offering workshop activities and drawing sessions.

In addition to workshops and public engagement activities, OGS will also organise two lectures included in the official programme of Trieste Next 2025:

• Climate crisis: scientific data calls for a change of course (Friday 26, 4:30 p.m. – 5:45 p.m., Palazzo Biserini, LETS Museum).

With Erica Coppola (ICTP), Maria Eugenia Molina Jack (OGS), Francesco Cumani (ARPA FVG) and Antonio Novellino (ETT / Deda Group).

Moderated by Chiara Altobelli (OGS).

(Registration required: register here)

• Supercomputing for research (Saturday 27, 10:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m., Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Sala Predonzani).

 

With Silvia Calegari (INFN, CNAF Bologna), Massimo Carboni (Deputy Director and Chief Technical Officer, GARR), Alessia D’Orazio (ICSC Research Manager) and Elisa Zuccolo (OGS).

Moderated by Matteo Massicci (ICSC Communication Office).

(Registration required: register here)

The full programme of workshops and events across the various days is available in the attachment.

All activities will be open access, subject to availability.

 

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School activities

For four days, on the occasion of the European Researchers’ Night – SHARPER European Researchers’ Night, schools in Trieste open their doors to science with the initiative “One hour with a researcher”: researchers from different institutions meet students to present their work, share curiosities and answer their questions. OGS will take part with two sessions:

• Tuesday 23 September, 9:00 a.m. – A conveyor belt in the ocean? How it works and why it matters (primary schools, grades 1–3)
• Thursday 25 September, 9:00 a.m. – OGS: Marine sediments – a secret diary of the sea (lower secondary school, grade 3, and upper secondary school, grades 1–2)

Sessions by reservation (more information here: "An hour with a researcher").