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May 2026 | |
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News | |
 Chemistry Nobel at ICTPHow can the design of new materials help us tackle climate change and make our presence on this planet more sustainable? Nobel Laureate Omar Yaghi has found more than one answer to this question. In 2025, he was awarded the Chemistry Nobel Prize for the development of new, porous materials called metal–organic frameworks, characterised by built-in cavities that can capture and store specific substances like water from desert air or carbon dioxide, making them powerful sustainability tools. Yaghi discussed some of his discoveries at an event organized jointly by ICTP and the University of Trieste on Wednesday 27 May. Read more ... | |
 ICTP, IITM Agree to Climate Research and Training CollaborationICTP and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) have signed a research and training agreement paving the way for researchers from both institutes to collaborate on research activities in the fields of weather, Earth and climate science, as well as an annual conference held alternatively at ICTP and in India. Read more ... | |
 Researchers at ICTP propose a new quantum framework to measure timeHow can one rely on the laws of quantum mechanics to keep track of time? An international collaboration including ICTP postdoctoral fellow Ludmila Viotti and ICTP senior research scientist Rosario Fazio might have just found a route to answering this question by proposing a protocol to build a high-precision clock that exploits the properties of quantum mechanics. In an article published in Physical Review Letters, they suggest that the properties of time crystals, a new quantum phase of matter, could be used for timekeeping. Read more ... | |
 The Birth of a Scientist and a PoetWhere does science end and poetry begin? The event “The Birth of a Scientist and a Poet” which took place during Trieste’s Scienza e Virgola science and literature festival, explored this question. Starting from a reading of poems drawn from two of her collections, theoretical ecologist, poet, and ICTP former postdoctoral fellow Madhur Anand explored how scientific research and poetic writing can stem from the same need to understand the world from different yet complementary perspectives. Read more ... | |
 ICTP at the 2026 Trieste Maker FaireThe Trieste Maker Faire, launched by ICTP's Scientific Fabrication Laboratory (SciFabLab) 13 years ago, was held in May in Piazza Unita. This year, the SciFabLab was joined by a cohort of ICTP researchers, led by the Mathematics section, who entertained passersby with puzzles and games throughout the weekend. The 2026 Maker Faire was also an occasion to mark the centennial of ICTP founder Abdus Salam and celebrate his vision: a special session on the life and scientific achievements of Salam, curated by the ICTP Library, took place during the event. Read more ... | |
 One Challenge After Another: the Butterfly Effect ContinuesICTP's successful "Butterfly Effect Challenge" has now inspired another longtime ICTP donor and friend to create not one, but two extraordinary challenge opportunities. Prof. Adnan Shihab-Eldin, a friend and supporter who has been connected to ICTP since the days of Abdus Salam, has issued a generous challenge of €50,000 to support two, new vital initiatives. Read more ... | |
 ICTP Global Science Portal Hosts Crash Course in Quantum ComputingQuantum computing technology has been hailed as a key resource for researchers in the future, but many graduate students across the world do not yet have access to teaching on this topic. The ICTP Global Science Portal recently hosted an online, three-session crash course on quantum computing principles and practical applications. The course was taught by ICO/ICTP Gallieno Denardo award winner Muhammad Faryad, and was particularly aimed at students with no experience in quantum computing. More than 600 students from 73 countries registered for the course. Read more ... | |
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Opportunities | |
Challenges and Perspectives of Science Diplomacy in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern EuropeThe Central European Initiative (CEI) has announced a call for participants from CEI member states to join the advanced training course on “Challenges and Perspectives of Science Diplomacy in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe”, which will take place in Trieste and Gorizia (Italy) on 24 – 27 November 2026. Application deadline: 30 June 2026. Details ... | MENA Grants for Transformative and Collaborative ResearchWith support from the German BMFTR, TWAS makes grants available for promising and competitive research projects in key areas relevant to the High-Tech Agenda Germany, supporting young scientists from selected MENA countries to strengthen research capacity across the region. Application deadline (extended): 18 June 2026. Details ... |
Through Southern Lenses: Science in Focus Opens in RomeThe exhibition Through Southern Lenses: Science in Focus officially opened on 7 May 2026 at Palazzo Pamphilj’s Galleria Candido Portinari, at the Embassy of Brazil in Rome. Promoted by the Conrado Wessel Foundation (FCW) in partnership with TWAS, the exhibition will be open to the public until 19 June 2026, with free admission. Details ... | TWAS Seeks Nominations for Six New AwardsSix calls for nominations are currently open to candidates from the developing world across disciplines, including agricultural sciences and biology, astronomy and cosmology, biological sciences, chemistry, mathematical sciences, and sustainability. Nominations may be submitted by TWAS members, science academies, national research councils, universities, and scientific institutions from both the global North and South. Application deadline: 30 June 2026. Details ... |
ICTP's Training and Research in Italian Laboratories (TRIL) ProgrammeICTP's Training and Research in Italian Laboratories Programme places scientists in an Italian laboratory for research in the physical sciences. Application deadline: ongoing.Details ... | |
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Upcoming Deadlines |  |  |
School and Workshop on Ultrafast Electronics Meets Quantum ThermodynamicsDeadline: 15 June 2026 | Joint ICTP-WE Heraeus College on Advances in Topological Quantum MatterDeadline: 15 June 2026 |  |  |
Physical Sciences in Medicine Workshop 2026: Inaugural EditionDeadline: 15 June 2026 | Career Development Workshop for Women in PhysicsDeadline: 15 June 2026 |  |  |
International School and Workshop on Space WeatherDeadline: 28 June 2026 | Joint ICTP-IAEA Workshop on Edge Artificial Intelligence for Environmental and Radiation SensingDeadline: 30 June 2026 |  |
Joint ICTP-IAEA Workshop on Nuclear Reaction Data: Experiment and CompilationDeadline: 30 June 2026 | |
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Important links | |
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Uniting Minds, Igniting Discovery: ICTP Video Spotlights
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoxv42WBtfCCQynvMrPJAT_fT-bglH0vK ICTP Scientific Calendar: https://www.ictp.it/home/scientific-calendar Marie Curie Library: https://library.ictp.it/ ICTP Dirac Conversations video series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoxv42WBtfCC_3PwuoOuEWxakUF9uhti8 | |
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