Postgraduate training and leading-edge research in various areas of Physics, Mathematics, and Neurosciences are the objectives of SISSA, the International School for Advanced Studies of Trieste. SISSA was the first Italian university to offer the PhD degree, and has continued to do so with notable success. Since its founding in 1978, SISSA has prepared more than 500 young people for careers in research and teaching: today SISSA represents one of the leading scientific institutions in Italy and a noted center on the international stage.

Each of the School's eight Sectors hosts a staff of internationally recognized professors and junior fellows. The Sectors carry out original research projects and organize the post-graduate training of university graduates from throughout the world. In many cases, the training and research projects combine and integrate the expertise of multiple research groups. In this open-minded environment, the graduate students attend courses and conduct research under their advisor's guidance, acquiring the relevant academic background and, more importantly, the capacity to conduct research independently. In short, the students gain the experience necessary for a successful entry into the national and international scenes.

Located on the Miramare scientific campus which also hosts the ICTP (International Center for Theoretical Physics) and the Theoretical Physics Department of the University of Trieste, SISSA is an essential component of the Trieste System, the grouping of national and international scientific institutes that make Trieste the "City of Science".