INFN is a national institution, sponsored by the Italian government, that promotes, coordinates and funds theoretical and experimental research in the physics of nuclei, elementary particles and fundamental interactions. Scientific activities in INFN's Trieste Section encompass: high-energy sub-nuclear physics and physics of astroparticles; nuclear physics; theoretical physics; and high- and interdisciplinary technologies.

The Trieste Section is active in the planning and development of theoretical models and innovative techniques for particle detection and related electronics; development of chips, electronic circuit boards and VLSI integrated circuits; applications of interdisciplinary instrumentation technologies in medical physics and digital mammography; and management of advanced software and high-performance computer networks.

The section maintains close links with foreign universities and major laboratories - most notably, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN); the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL) and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) in the United States; and Canada's National Laboratory for Particle and Nuclear Physics (TRIUMF).