The ICTP-INDAM Collaborative Grants and Research Pairs program for 2026 is a joint initiative by the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) and the Italian National Institute for High Mathematics (INDAM). Its primary objective is to stimulate and sustain long-term scientific collaboration between researchers in Italy and their counterparts in developing countries, with a particular focus on mathematics and its applications.

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Core components and strategic features include:

1. Dual-Track Funding Structure: The program offers two distinct, complementary grant mechanisms to support collaboration at different stages and scales:
   1. Collaborative Grants: Designed for established, ongoing partnerships. These grants provide substantial funding (up to €15,000) to support joint research projects, including extended research visits, workshops, and the involvement of early-career researchers from the developing country team.
   2. Research Pairs Grants: Aimed at initiating new collaborations or supporting focused, short-term projects. These smaller grants (up to €4,000) facilitate intensive working visits for a pair of researchers (one from Italy, one from a developing country).
2. Strategic Focus on Capacity Building: A central tenet is strengthening scientific capacity in the Global South. The grants explicitly prioritize the involvement of early-career scientists and PhD students from developing countries, ensuring knowledge transfer and sustainable partnership growth.
3. Thematic Scope: The program supports research in all branches of pure and applied mathematics, including but not limited to mathematical physics, numerical analysis, and financial mathematics, aligning with the expertise of both ICTP and INDAM.
4. Eligibility and Partnership Requirements: Applications must be submitted by a pair of Principal Investigators—one based in Italy and one based in a developing country—ensuring genuine co-ownership of the research project and mutual benefit.

In essence, this program acts as a critical bridge, leveraging Italian mathematical excellence and ICTP's global network to integrate scientists from developing countries into the international research community, thereby fostering high-level scientific output and sustainable academic development.