International Centre for Theoretical Physics


The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics is an international research institute for physical and mathematical sciences that operates under a tripartite agreement between the Italian Government, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and International Atomic Energy Agency. It is located near the Miramare Park, about 10 kilometres from the city of Trieste, Italy. The centre was founded in 1964 by Pakistani Nobel Laureate Abdus Salam.
ICTP is part of the Trieste System, a network of national and international scientific institutes in Trieste, promoted by the Italian physicist Paolo Budinich.

Mission

Research at ICTP is carried out by seven scientific sections:
The scientific community at ICTP includes staff research scientists, postdoctoral fellows and long- and short-term visitors engaged in independent or collaborative research. Throughout the year, the sections organize conferences, workshops, seminars and colloquiums in their respective fields. ICTP also has visitor programmes specifically for scientific visitors from developing countries, including programmes under federation and associateship schemes.

Postgraduate programmes

ICTP offers educational training through its pre-PhD programmes and degree programmes.
;Pre-PhD programmes
In collaboration with other institutes, ICTP offers masters and doctoral degrees in physics and mathematics.
In addition, ICTP collaborates with local laboratories, including Elettra Synchrotron Light Laboratory, to provide fellowships and laboratory opportunities.

Prizes and awards

ICTP has instituted awards to honour and encourage high-level research in the fields of physics and mathematics.
One of ICTP's goals is to set up regional centres of excellence around the globe. The idea is to bring ICTP's unique blend of high-quality physics and mathematics education and high-level science meetings closer to scientists everywhere. On February 6, 2012, ICTP opened a partner institute in São Paulo, Brazil. Its activities are modelled on those of the ICTP and include schools and workshops, as well as a visiting scientists programme.
On October 18, 2018, a partner institute, was inaugurated in Kigali, Rwanda. In November 2018, ICTP opened the International Centre for Theoretical Physics Asia-Pacific in Beijing, China, in collaboration with the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Journal

In 2007 ICTP created the peer-reviewed open-access Journal "African Review of Physics" under the then name "African Physical Review".