Professor Rino Rappuoli was conferred the Honorary Degree in Medical and Diagnostic Biotechnologies. The ceremony held place in Trieste, in the main lecture hall of the University, in the presence of Rector Roberto Di Lenarda and the main city authorities.

The celebration began with the welcome speech of Rector Roberto Di Leandra, followed by the reading of the Motivation by Mauro Tretiach, Director of the Life Sciences Department and the reading of the Laudatio by Ivan Donati and Paola Cescutti, Associate Biochemistry Professors of the Life Sciences Department. The ceremony went on with the lecture of Professor Rino Rappuoli, titled “Vaccines of the future and the achievement of impossible goals”.

“It is a great honour for me to receive this important recognition from one of our country’s leading academic institutions” said Rino Rappuoli, scientific director of the Biotecnopolo di Siena Foundation. “I have many memories and many professional and human bonds that bind me to the city of Trieste and its University. I want to say thank you to the academic community and to the city of Trieste for welcoming me and for giving me this beautiful feeling. Today I mentioned some goals that once seemed unreachable but have since become a lot easier thanks to scientific and technological innovations that made conquering new heights and prevent diseases possible. We still have many health challenges ahead of us, but we must continue to follow the path of research and innovation, as they will lead us to increase the knowledge we will leave to future generations. Trieste is a city with a great vocation for sciences, and becoming part of this prestigious university is for me a chance of engaging with an innovative, vibrant, and open scientific community”.