by Maximiliano Crocamo
Interview: FVG councilor for research and education, Alessia Rosolen; Franco Dal Mas, CEI director general
A new training program aimed at strengthening the role of scientific diplomacy across Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe will take place in Trieste from November 25 to 28. The course, titled “Challenges and Prospects of Scientific Diplomacy in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe,” is organized by the Executive Secretariat of the Central European Initiative (CEI) in collaboration with the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region and the Department of Political and Social Sciences of the University of Trieste.
Supported by Area Science Park and Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste, and in cooperation with the Friuli Venezia Giulia Scientific and Innovation System (SIS FVG) and the EU Science Diplomacy Alliance (EUSDA), the program is designed to strengthen international collaboration and knowledge exchange in the field.
“This training is part of a broader diplomatic and scientific policy strategy that aims to represent Friuli Venezia Giulia at an international level,” said Alessia Rosolen, Regional Councillor for Labor, Research, Universities, and Training. “It comes at a time when scientific diplomacy is attracting the attention of international institutions, and when policies shaping our societies’ evolution must increasingly be defined and integrated on a global scale.”
Rosolen described the course as “a key step in opening a new phase of dialogue,” emphasizing the region’s longstanding commitment to international cooperation through its research institutions and the Central European Initiative’s three-decade experience in fostering diplomatic relations across Europe.
At the presentation event, attended by CEI Secretary General Franco Dal Mas and Professor Simone Arnaldi of the University of Trieste, Rosolen highlighted several cross-border projects led by local researchers, including a tri-national hydrogen supply chain initiative that originated from a proposal by a University of Trieste faculty member.
The training will also seek to enhance and connect expertise within SIS FVG and EUSDA—Europe’s leading network dedicated to scientific diplomacy, co-chaired by CEI and the University of Trieste’s Department of Political and Social Sciences until June 30, 2026. One of the program’s objectives is to position Friuli Venezia Giulia as a center of excellence for advanced education in the field.
About thirty participants from twelve CEI member countries—including Italy, Slovenia, Romania, Albania, Serbia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Montenegro, Hungary, North Macedonia, Moldova, and Croatia—are expected to attend. The group will include diplomats, researchers, government officials, university administrators, business professionals, and representatives of non-governmental organizations, reflecting the multidisciplinary nature of scientific diplomacy itself.
