ICTP and the Impact of Fundraising

The ICTP community reaches far and wide, and many people who have had a deep connection with the Centre over its 60-year history have made financial contributions to ensure that ICTP can continue to fulfill its mission and carry on the legacy of Abdus Salam.

ICTP has had an Institute Advancement Unit (a fundraising office) for the better part of the last decade, working to build a culture of philanthropy and make connections with donors who want to support its mission. This unit works in close collaboration with the Office of the Director and a Fundraising Advisory Board established three years ago to broaden the community of donors supporting ICTP. With the recent announcement of the matching grant from the Simons Foundation International to build an International Science Complex, this effort will grow substantially.

To make ICTP's community aware of those who have been supporting the Centre over the last several years, we want to highlight not only the donors --  to give them a chance to talk about why they think giving to ICTP is important --  but also some of the scientists who have been directly impacted by the generosity of our donors. In this article, we highlight Dr. Adnan Shihab-Eldin, a long-time friend of ICTP.

If you have questions about the Advancement efforts at ICTP -- or if you are interested in giving -- please contact the Institute Advancement Unit at advancement@ictp.it or visit the Unit's website.
 
In 2023, Dr. Shihab-Eldin established the Ahmed Shihab-Eldin Annual Visiting Fellowship, naming it after his father, who was a Palestinian -Kuwaiti educator.

Dr. Shihab-Eldin is the former Acting Secretary General and Director of the Research Division of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and former Director General of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences from 2011 to 2021. He is also a Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (OIES) since 2021 and a founding member of the board of directors of the Kearney Energy Transition Institute. Dr. Shihab-Eldin currently teaches in the Executive MBA Energy Management programme at the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU) and is a member of the advisory board for this programme.He also serves on numerous Board of Directors and Advisory Councils including the American university of Beirut, Georgetown Univeristy – Doha, and Ambrosetti, the House of Europe, Milan, Italy. 

We talked to Dr. Shihab-Eldin about why he thinks it is important to give regularly to ICTP.

What inspired you to become a donor to ICTP?

I was deeply inspired by the noble mission of ICTP: providing opportunities for students, young researchers, and academics from developing countries to spend quality, unencumbered time interacting with peers and top scientists from developed nations. ICTP empowers them to pursue their dreams, advance the frontiers of science, and return to their home countries better equipped to teach and conduct cutting-edge research.
 
I was fortunate to study at one of the world’s top universities, the University of California, Berkeley, where I had the privilege of learning from leading scientists, including Nobel laureates. When I returned to Kuwait in 1970, I was fortunate to meet Professor Abdus Salam on several of his visits to Kuwait and the Gulf. He tirelessly urged Gulf leaders to set up well-endowed centers of learning and research in their newly developing countries, reviving the tradition of early Islamic civilization. During that time, cities like Baghdad, Damascus, and Córdoba were centers of learning, home to scholars who preserved and advanced the Greco-Roman scientific heritage. These centers flourished thanks to the endowments of rulers, merchants, and individual citizens who recognized the importance of supporting knowledge for the greater good.
 
Professor Salam’s persistence led to the establishment of ICTP, which exemplifies the critical role of such institutions. Supporting ICTP resonates with this legacy of fostering knowledge, collaboration, and global progress and is an effective way to pay back all individuals and institutions who helped me throughout my career.

Why do you continue to give?

It’s simple: I continue to give because there is always a need and I am still able to give, no matter how modest this may be. Each contribution, no matter the size, has the potential to support young scientists from developing countries—scientists who need just a bit of assistance to realize their potential. Through ICTP, these individuals can join the global effort to advance human knowledge. Supporting this mission is both a privilege and a responsibility.

What would you tell someone considering becoming a donor? Why should they support ICTP?

ICTP is unique. While many advanced research centers exist, they are often national in scope and offer limited opportunities for scientists from developing countries. ICTP, however, creates an environment where these scientists can interact with peers and world-leading experts without the pressure to immigrate or relocate permanently. This unique model enables them to stay connected with ICTP and its network, returning periodically to collaborate and continue contributing to science from their home countries.

 
ICTP’s beautiful setting, spirit of camaraderie, and the lifelong networks of scientific and personal friendships it fosters make it extraordinary. Supporting ICTP is not just about advancing science; it’s about building bridges across borders and empowering the next generation of global scientists.
 
I would encourage anyone considering a donation to think of the ripple effects their contribution could have—not only in advancing human knowledge but also in strengthening bonds of collaboration and understanding across the world. We need to build  more such bonds now more than ever, given the rising conflicts, raging wars and polarizations between nations and within countries as well. 

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The first two scientists to receive the Ahmed Shihab-Eldin Annual Visiting Fellowship are Palestinian scientists Wafaa Khater and Rami Amro.

Dr. Wafaa Khater is a faculty member in the physics department at Birzeit University (BZU), Palestine. She is the current dean of the science faculty and chaired the physics department and directed the master's program for three years between 2013 and 2016. In 2012, Dr. Khater began collaborating with ICTP through the "Physics Without Frontiers" program, organizing outreach activities to inspire and engage students in the field of particle physics. This partnership has since led to several success stories, with some participants advancing to postdoctoral research positions, while others are still pursuing their master's and PhD degrees. She is also a member of several organizations that focus on the role of women in physics and science such as OWSD (Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World). In 2023, she was awarded the Ahmed Shihab-Eldin Fellowship and described her experiences:

"This visit was important to my career in physics. I mainly worked on my research and carried out calculation in the Higgs sector of models beyond the Standard Model, making use of the facilities and the motivating atmosphere at the center which is a hub to meet and discuss with great physicists from all over the world. The Adriatic Sea and the green areas surrounding the center provided another kind of peaceful atmosphere to speed up solving physics equations and clear the mind from all kinds of unrest that we experience back in Palestine." 

"This visit was also an opportunity to extend our collaboration with ICTP focusing on the education of women in physics since the majority of the student body at BZU are females."

Dr. Rami Amro, Assistant Professor at Palestine Technical University in Kadoorie, Tulkarm/Palestine, was the recipient of the fellowship in 2024. He had this to say about the impact on his career:

 "This visit has not only been an essential step in achieving my research goals but has also allowed me to showcase the potential and impact of researchers from developing countries."

The fellowship "... not only advances my research but is also fostering a broader dialogue about the importance of collaboration, inclusivity, and mutual growth in the global scientific community."