International Spotlight on Science

With its international perspective and its core mission, ICTP celebrates international science every day. So when the annual World Science Day rolls around every 10 November, the Centre welcomes the enhanced spotlight on the excitement and importance of science.

The World Science Day for Peace and Development was established by UNESCO--one of ICTP's UN sponsors--in 2001 with the aim of highlighting the role of science in society and the need to engage the wider public in debates on emerging and important contemporary issues relevant to science.

The 2019 Day is devoted to the theme of "Open Science, leaving no one behind". Policy makers and citizens are increasingly embracing the concept of open science as a tool for making science more accessible, the scientific process more inclusive and the outputs of science more readily available. This has important consequences for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in Africa, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, and Small Island Developing States.

How does ICTP promote Open Science? Several highlights below demonstrate the Centre's firm commitment to ensuring that science is freely accessible to everyone, regardless of borders or gender.

• #SciencefortheFuture
  Science for Sustainability: How ICTP contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals
  
  
• #GenderEquity
  ICTP's Web Portal for its Gender Equity Activities
  
  
• Moving Towards #OpenAccess
  ICTP Cancels Elsevier Subscription: Centre joins growing institutional protests against costly journal services
  
  
• #ScienceForPeace
  Collaborations in Science Diplomacy: BRIDGES science diplomacy network meets at ICTP
  
  
• #SustainableFuture
  Safeguarding Our Planet Through Science: Physics Without Frontiers in Zimbabwe