January 2026: FBK projects making headlines

Measles still spreading

Research by Fondazione Bruno Kessler appeared in Focus, which examined the spread of measles in Italy based on a study conducted by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (the Italian National Institute of Health, translator’s note) together with the FBK Center for Health Emergencies and published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. The analysis portrays a “leopard-spot” country, marked by strong regional differences in vaccination coverage, and highlights a key finding: today, virus transmission mainly involves young adults between the ages of 20 and 40, often unvaccinated or only partially protected. This increases the risk of infection even for children who have not yet been immunized, particularly in household and healthcare settings, and confirms the urgency of targeted strategies to reduce the share of the susceptible population and prevent new outbreaks.

Focus – Il morbillo colpisce ancora – January 2026

L’Adige’s FBK special

L’Adige devoted a special feature to Fondazione Bruno Kessler, offering an overview of the vision, projects, and people driving FBK research. The pages highlight scientific results and local impact, and give voice to researchers through stories, interviews, and thematic insights. The special included an editorial by President Ferruccio Resta, who also served as “editor for a day” in the newsroom, a focus on proof-of-concept activities at FBK, a contribution on the future of mountain areas, and a look at the prospects of robotics and artificial intelligence. Alongside these features are eight researcher profiles that put faces and voices to FBK’s work—different paths and skills coming together around a shared vision of the future, combining scientific impact, innovation, and social responsibility.

L’Adige – FBK Special – February 3, 2026

Cyber attack

Il T and L’Adige covered a cybersecurity seminar promoted by Confindustria Trento in collaboration with Fondazione Bruno Kessler, the University of Trento, and Hub Innovazione Trentino, focused on managing cyberattacks in corporate settings. Among the speakers was Matteo Rizzi, Science Ambassador and researcher at the FBK Center for Cybersecurity, who explored the topic of infostealers: “these are malicious spyware designed to steal personal and sensitive information from victims’ devices”. The meeting highlighted how, alongside technological solutions, staff training remains a key element in preventing and containing cyber incidents.

IL T – Attacchi hacker sempre più pericolosi e subdoli – January 15, 2026

L’Adige – Come fronteggiare un attacco informatico in azienda – January 14, 2026

Artificial intelligence and personalized medicine

Artificial intelligence and health were the focus of the talk by Giuseppe Jurman, head of the Data Science for Health (DSH) unit at the FBK Center for Digital Health & Wellbeing, guest of the show Meeting on Trentino TV. Jurman illustrated how the increasing availability of data and computational power has made possible concrete applications of AI to support clinicians, from diagnostics to prognostics, risk assessment and patient survival. Continuous collaboration with doctors and with the Trento Hospital is essential to adapt algorithms and models to real clinical questions. Thanks to PNRR funds, FBK has contributed to the development of advanced infrastructures and tools for the analysis of digital images, hosted at Trentino Digitale, initially applied to oncology and intended to extend to other diseases. An approach that looks at increasingly personalized medicine, capable of integrating clinical, genetic and lifestyle data to improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

Trentino TV – Meeting – January 21, 2026

AI exposure across occupations. How jobs are changing

The topic of the impact of artificial intelligence on jobs is the focus of the interview published by Il T with Greta Sofia Lampis, Science Ambassador and researcher at the Institute for evaluative research on public policies (IRVAPP), carried out by Sara Hejazi with the FBK Center for Sensors & Devices. Lampis urges caution in interpreting the available data, emphasizing that AI is less about “replacing” entire professions than about transforming the content of tasks. According to the analysis, computer-related occupations and those that work intensively with texts and information, from communication to finance, are more exposed, but the main effect is a change in the mix of skills required.  Alongside digital skills, the value of critical thinking, interpretive skills and teamwork are growing. Positive signs emerge on the public policy front, but there is still a risk that the speed of technology innovation will exceed regulation and adaptation times, making coordinated investments in training, research and collaboration between institutions and companies central.

The T – “AI, ecco i mestieri più esposti. Così cambia il lavoro” – 30 January 2026