The times we live in are so intense that any plans we make may not keep up with the pace of scientific and technological progress.

A small university like ours cannot invest in all areas of knowledge, and that is why the Strategic Plan focuses its efforts on a strategic proposal that both brings to the forefront the University’s best areas of expertise and enables the University to apply for European funding with a good chance of success.

Interdepartmental laboratories will not only form the basis for research work that is strongly connected to the needs of society, but also give our researchers a valuable instrument to obtain new funds. These laboratories will conduct investigations on:

  • migration (IML - International Migration Laboratory) and the balanced development of the planet (UNITN4D - UNITN for Development);
  • population ageing and its social and economic implications (RARE - Reversing Age and Resilience  in the Elderly);
  • the fragility of the environment in a region where tourism is the main industry (FAMA - Rete/laboratorio per lo studio e valutazione delle Fragilità in Ambiente Montano Alpino);
  • the future of work in a society in which technology destroys established professions, pushes workers out of the labour market, and threatens to replace human work with machines at a speed that is faster than that of natural adjustment mechanisms (LIW - Lavoro, Impresa e Welfare nel XXI secolo and We.Be.Wo.Lab - WEll-BEing at WOrk);
  • crime and the security of places, organizations and technologies (ISSTN - Istituto di Scienze della Sicurezza dell’Università degli Studi di Trento);
  • autism (TRAIN - TRentino Autism INitiative).

Strategic projects

IML - International Migration Laboratory

The project aims to create a laboratory for the integrated, innovative and multidisciplinary development of education, research and civic activities in the area of international migrations.
The project should help to create a distinctive environment that is recognized for its capacity to integrate knowledge from different disciplines, in order to fully participate in international research networks.
The laboratory’s activities will start with the design of an interdisciplinary master’s course for the training and specialization of professionals in different areas.

UNITN4D - UNITN for Development

The purpose of the project is to establish a systemic centre of competence on the themes of cooperation for sustainable human development, in line with the UN development objectives. To achieve this objective, the project draws on the multidisciplinary competences offered by 8 different University departments and centres, to best use the available resources and knowhow and to facilitate new scientific interactions in the area of development cooperation.
The project therefore aims to create the most suitable conditions to develop innovative interdisciplinary research projects in areas that are relevant to sustainable human development and, at the same time, to shape the collaboration between UniTrento and the Centro per la Formazione alla Solidarietà Internazionale (CFSI) to give it structure and continuity.

RARE (Reversing Age and Resilience in the Elderly) Net

Website: rarenet.unitn.it/

The purpose of the project is to create a highly competitive network of researchers focused on the topics of active ageing, longevity, and the role of physical activity, in a multidisciplinary perspective. To implement innovative ideas and research programmes, RARE-Net will use a cross-sector approach.
The interdepartmental character of RARE-Net is a key element to maximize both the likelihood of success and its visibility in the national and international scientific community.

FAMA - Rete/Laboratorio per lo studio e valutazione delle Fragilità in Ambiente Montano/Alpino

(Network/Laboratory for the study and evaluation of fragility in the mountain/Alpine environment)

Website: projects.unitn.it/fama/

The purpose of the project is to create a network/laboratory dedicated to the study and design of initiatives for the conservation, enhancement and regeneration of the mountain environment in physical, cultural, social and economic terms.
To revitalize and protect the mountain and alpine environment as a common heritage of cultural, artistic-historical and structural importance it is fundamental to understand it and to monitor it from an interdisciplinary point of view.

LIW - Laboratorio “Lavoro, Impresa e Welfare nel XXI secolo”

(“Labour, business and welfare in the 21st century” Lab)

Website: lavoroimpresawelfare.com/ 

The purpose of the project is to create a coordination and liaison body on the subject of labour, business and welfare, which will serve as an internal research network and as a platform for the creation and supervision of European projects.
The project therefore aims to undertake scientific research and the dissemination of research results, and to establish and maintain relationships with third parties and external organizations, including offering policy advice and training activities.

WE.BE.WO. LAB - Well-being at work. Qualità della vita lavorativa e benessere organizzativo

(Well-being at work. Quality of working life and organizational well-being)

The project focuses on the quality of working life and organizational well-being. Its purpose is to strengthen the network of relations among operators and local institutions that deal with issues such as the management of individual careers, collective bargaining, participation in labour organizations, and policies to promote employment and employability.
Research will be centred on the subject of decent work and on the need to make time, space and work objectives compatible with various areas of life (personal, family and social). The project also includes teaching initiatives for master’s students, PhD students, research fellows, researchers, and University staff, and courses specifically designed for public and private operators.

ISSTN - Istituto di Scienze della Sicurezza dell’Università degli Studi di Trento

(The Institute on Security Studies at the University of Trento)

Website: isstn.unitn.it

The purpose of the project is to create a liaison organization for discipline areas that study safety, security and risk. The Institute will increase interaction among the University’s research groups and academic staff who are already working on these themes through innovative multi/interdisciplinary research and multi/interdisciplinary job-oriented courses on crime, safety and security. In addition, the ISSTN will offer excellence honours programmes for master’s and doctoral students, and organize events for recent graduates and interested stakeholders (including professionals and institutional representatives) who want to increase their knowledge on these topics.
The ISSTN also aims to develop its relationships with other institutions, such as the European region of Euregio and private companies, and to introduce new knowledge transfer initiatives in the field of public and private security.
The Institute will explore possible cooperation opportunities with FBK in the form of a joint workshop.

TRAIN - Trentino Autism Initiative

Website: projects.unitn.it/train/en/

The goal of the project is to start a multidisciplinary work area on autism involving three doctoral schools.
The project in fact aims to create a network of laboratories capable of promoting translational research on autism and of providing young researchers with a multidisciplinary perspective. More specifically, TRAIN aims to develop young researchers with knowledge of biology, genetics, epigenetics, psychology and behavioural science, who are familiar with different experimental models and can perform integrated data analyses.

Documents are available in Italian.

Progetti che rispondono ai problemi e alle opportunità socio-culturali del futuro
Progetti che rispondono ai problemi e alle opportunità socio-culturali del futuro