ICTP in Trieste, Trieste, Italy | Science Centre

Founded in 1964 by Abdus Salam (Nobel Laureate), the Centre ICTP operates under a tripartite agreement among the Italian Government and two United Nations Agencies, UNESCO and IAEA. Its mission is to foster advanced studies and research, especially in developing countries. While the name of the Centre reflects its beginnings, its activities today encompass most areas of physical sciences including applications. ICTP organisation is a complex institution that has evolved over time in Trieste (Italy), and there is thus no unique way of describing its organization. The complexity is a result of the many functions it has assumed in addition to its main function, which is to do world-class research and disseminate science to those in need. For instance, ICTP organisation in Trieste serves as a bridge between scientific communities in a fragmented world, as it successfully did between the East and West during the cold war. Now the scientific community faces challenges that sometimes have a similar slant: most notably, the inability of scientific communities to interact because of political and diplomatic circumstances beyond their control.