ICTP Affiliated Centres

An ICTP Affiliated Centre (ICAC) is an Institute or University Department of Physics or Mathematics that agrees to carry out a specific long-term research project on a definite subject with well defined purposes. An ICAC is expected to have a regional character and to be strongly supported by the local authorities and the hosting Institution.

How to apply

The proposer is expected to submit a scientific project to the ICTP, in collaboration with the leading scientists of that department, and possibly, of other departments in the country. Many scientists participate in ICAC activities. Consistent with such collaboration, an ICAC scientific advisory board is normally formed.

The scientific project of the ICAC should include:

• a general programme for activities planned over a period of 3 years;
• a detailed project and itemized budget for the first year.

Additionally, the project proposal should contain:

1. a description of the department, including the main scientific subjects, the names of the scientists involved and their recent publications, the experimental facilities available, the extent of the library, the list of Ph.D. courses and the number of Ph.D.'s awarded per year;
2. indication of the financial support from local authorities. The contribution from local sources should at least match the ICTP contribution and should be made available for the costs of the project itself and not for general infrastructure.

Benefits

If the project is accepted, the ICTP contributes towards the ICAC over a period of 3 years (provided funds are available and subject to the approval of the activities year by year). An ICAC is expected to use a substantial amount of the ICTP contribution for fellowships for young researchers and students from the country/region to attend courses or to work for extended periods at the ICAC. Part of the ICTP contribution could be used to cover expenses that may need hard currency (regional travel expenses, purchase of equipment, books and software), while local expenses (hospitality, travels in the country, local facilities and local grants) should be borne by the department or local authorities.

An ICAC is expected to specially benefit from the Scientific Meeting Programme and the Visiting Scholar/Consultant Programme run by the Office of External Activities. Special attention will be given to those scientists from an Affiliated Centre who apply to other ICTP programmes.

Yearly Reports

At the end of each year of activity, the ICTP must receive a scientific report and a financial breakdown of expenses referring to the past year, as well as the documentation of local financial support. This documentation, together with the detailed project for the following year, allows the ICTP to consider and approve continued funding.

Extensions

The affiliation can be extended after the three-year period in the form of one-year projects. To be considered for renewal, a scientific project and relevant budget should be submitted yearly. These projects should be the continuation of the previous activities. In these cases, the ICTP contribution is mainly for fellowships to be offered to young researchers from the country and preferably from other countries in the region.

Applications

There is no deadline for the presentation of projects.

All enquiries and projects should be submitted to:

Office of External Activities
The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics
P.O. Box 586 - Via Beirut, 6
I-34014 Trieste
Italy

or by email oea@ictp.it