56th Meeting of the ICTP Scientific Council

Jun 3, 2026, 9:00 AM → Jun 4, 2026, 10:20 PM Europe/Rome

Oppenheimer Meeting Room (Leonardo Building)

Wed, June 3

9:00 AM → 9:30 AM SESSION I (Council members ONLY): SESSION I (CLOSED) - (Council members ONLY)

09.00 - 09.30 Welcome remarks: Marc Mézard (Chair)
Review of the agenda, approval of the minutes of the last meeting (June 2025), organization of the breakout sessions, and any matters arising

Convener: Marc Mézard

9:00 AM Welcome remarks

Speaker: Marc Mézard

9:05 AM Review of AGENDA

9:15 AM Approval of the minutes of the last meeting (June 2025)

9:20 AM Organization of the breakout sessions

9:25 AM Matters arising

9:30 AM → 4:30 PM SESSION II: (OPEN) - (with ICTP Faculty and Unit and Programme Heads/Staff)

Convener: Atish Dabholkar

9:30 AM Presentation by the Director

Speaker: Prof. Atish Dabholkar

10:15 AM Discussion

10:45 AM Coffee Break (LB Terrace)

(LB Terrace)

11:00 AM ICTP STRATEGIC PRIORITIES: International Science Alliance: updates and future

Speaker: Prof. Ralf Kaiser

11:15 AM ICTP STRATEGIC PRIORITIES: International Consortium for Scientific Computing: updates and future

Speaker: Prof. Sandro Scandolo

11:30 AM ICTP RESEARCH: Special Reports

Introduced by Sandro Scandolo

Speaker: Prof. Matteo Marsili

12:30 PM Group Photo

12:45 PM Lunch (LB Terrace)

2:00 PM ICTP RESEARCH: Special Reports continued

Speaker: Dr Marco Zennaro

3:00 PM Updates on other Sections: Maths, HECAP, ESP, CMSP

Speaker: Prof. Sandro Scandolo

3:30 PM Breakout sessions Council Members and Section/Unit Faculty

Please join the relevant Section CMSP: HECAP: MATHS: ESP: QLS: STI: Venues to be decided

4:30 PM → 5:30 PM SESSION III: (CLOSED, Council Members only)

Convener: Marc Mézard

4:30 PM Discussion

CLOSED SESSION: Discussion Marc Mézard (Chair)

Speaker: Marc Mézard

6:00 PM → 7:30 PM Reception (AGH Terrace)

7:30 PM → 8:00 PM Bus departs AGH

8:00 PM → 10:00 PM Official Dinner with Section/Unit Heads

Thu, June 4

8:30 AM → 8:45 AM Shuttle departs AGH

8:45 AM → 9:30 AM SESSION IV: Open: (with Unit/Programme Heads and Faculty)

Convener: Atish Dabholkar

8:45 AM Updates on programmes and initiatives

Speaker: Atish Dabholkar

9:30 AM → 10:00 AM Coffee break

10:00 AM → 2:15 PM SESSION V: (OPEN, with Faculty)

10:00 AM Core funding and TS Science Hub

Speakers: Atish Dabholkar, Sandro Scandolo

10:15 AM New rules for travel

Speakers: Atish Dabholkar, Dr Jacopo Grilli, Sandro Scandolo

10:35 AM Faculty Presentation

(Chair of Faculty)

Speaker: Jacopo Grilli

10:45 AM Brainstorming session between Scientific Council Members and all Faculty

moderated by Chair of Faculty

Speaker: Jacopo Grilli

11:45 AM Parallel Breakout sessions

See venues below
(Council Members report back during conclusion session and provide brief written summaries to Chair, including feedback from Faculty Session)

12:45 PM Buffet Lunch with Faculty

2:15 PM → 5:15 PM SESSION VI: (CLOSED, Council Members only)

2:15 PM RESTRICTED SESSION: UNESCO Science Hub and visit of UNESCO DG

Speakers: Atish Dabholkar, Jacopo Grilli, Ralf Kaiser, Sandro Scandolo

2:45 PM Reporting back from Meetings with Postdocs, Diploma and MMP Students, Associates, and Faculty with discussion

Speaker: Marc Mézard

3:30 PM Conclusions and Recommendations of the Scientific Council

5:00 PM Date of next meeting

5:05 PM Chair reports conclusions to Director

5:15 PM → 5:30 PM Adjourn

5:30 PM → 6:00 PM Bus departs AGH for Trieste town centre

6:00 PM → 8:00 PM Special Event: Teatro Miela, Trieste: The Trial of Abdus Salam

The play focuses on the last few hours of the life of Nobel Laureate and ICTP founder Abdus Salam. It is an imagined courtroom drama that explores Salam's genius, faith, trials, and triumphs. The play has been written and directed by Nilanjan Paul Choudhury, who is a Sahitya Akademi Award nominated writer. This will be the premiere of the show in continental Europe. For the occasion, Paul Choudhury and a troupe of four people will travel all the way from Bengaluru to Trieste.

8:00 PM → 10:20 PM Informal dinners for Scientific Council Members with Section Faculty