Located on the University of Rwanda, Kigali campus, ICTP-EAIFR is a vibrant, international hub of advanced education and research, poised to become one of the most important physics institutes in Africa. It is a partner institute of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), and is also a Category 2 UNESCO institute.

ICTP-EAIFR has been developed in response to a need in Rwanda and the East African region for both masters and doctoral degrees in various areas of theoretical and computational physics while meeting international standards.

The institute itself is more than just a graduate school, as it will have permanent research scientists. When it is fully operational, there will also be  postdoctoral fellows. It is expected to act as a vibrant hub for visiting scientists from around the world, so that scientists from the continent can discuss and collaborate with others from further afield. This will also allow the students to make contact with active scientists and better their chances for obtaining PhD or postdoctoral positions in other countries.

The institute will host approximately five scientific meetings or schools a year, some of those in collaboration with the ICTP. Furthermore, it is expected to act as a node for various physics networks in Africa.

All aspects of ICTP-EAIFR are based on scientific merit with a positive bias to gender equality and geographical distribution.

ICTP-EAIFR is a moment's walk away from the University of Rwanda's departments of physics and mathematics, with which it enjoys close collaboration.