Posted On:
15 NOV 2026 3:59PM by PIB Delhi
India and the "International Centre for Theoretical Physics" (ICTP) have taken a significant step towards institutionalising their longstanding scientific partnership with the initiation of the ‘India-ICTP Co-operation Fund’, aimed at strengthening the engagement and mobility of Indian researchers with the international research centre.
A Letter of Intent (LoI) was signed between the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and ICTP in this regard during the visit of Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Jitendra Singh, to ICTP in Trieste, Italy. The LoI was exchanged from the Indian side by Dr Praveenkumar Somasundaram, Head of the International Cooperation in DST.
Welcoming the initiative, Dr. Jitendra Singh expressed the hope that the India-ICTP Co-operation Fund would give greater impact to the existing engagement between the two sides and benefit Indian researchers. He noted the importance of institutionalising the ongoing association to provide further impetus to scientific collaboration and researcher mobility.
The initiative builds upon India's longstanding partnership with ICTP, which has seen active participation by Indian scientists, researchers and students across multiple programmes. Through the proposed Co-operation Fund, DST and ICTP seek to provide a more structured framework for this existing engagement, with particular emphasis on creating further opportunities for Indian researchers.
ICTP is a leading global hub for advanced research, higher education and capacity-building in physics, mathematics and related fields. Its association with India extends across research collaboration, academic exchange, workshops and capacity-building activities involving several Indian institutions.
Institutions including the Department of Science and Technology (DST), CSIR, leading universities and IITs have collaborated with ICTP through joint research, workshops and exchange programmes. Indian researchers regularly benefit from ICTP's visiting fellowships, diploma programmes and postdoctoral opportunities, while ICTP experts frequently engage with India's scientific communities working in high-energy physics, astrophysics, climate modelling and computational science.
The initiation of the India-ICTP Co-operation Fund and the signing of the LoI mark an important step towards strengthening these existing avenues of engagement and advancing the researcher mobility component of the partnership.
The collaboration has contributed to strengthening global networks of scientific excellence, bringing together researchers and institutions and supporting fundamental discoveries as well as innovations with societal impact. The proposed initiative is expected to further enhance the impact of this engagement and benefit India's scientific research community.
Dr. Jitendra Singh's visit to ICTP, which included a welcome lunch and the initiation of the researcher mobility programme, formed part of his official visit to Italy from November 11 to 15, 2026.
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