TEHRAN – Two young Iranian entrepreneurs have participated in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Youth Forum to open up new opportunities for collaborations in innovative and technological fields like artificial intelligence and digital economy.

Held in Omsk, Russia, from August 19 to 23, the forum attracted more than 350 participants from 10 countries, including China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, and Russia, TV BRICS reported.

Being part of the international acceleration programme ‘SCO Business Incubator’, the forum brought together young entrepreneurs and experts to discuss ways to enter foreign markets and seek investment. Participants also attended lectures, practical workshops, and intensive educational sessions with more than a hundred mentors and industry experts.

Parisa Rooydel and Ali Hemati represented Iran in the forum, Mehr news agency reported. Iranian representatives held business-to-business meetings with member states and discussed the potential to boost cooperation in different sectors such as AI, the food industry, and the digital economy. They also explored avenues for conducting joint research projects, sharing technology, and accessing new export markets along with regional partners.

Representatives of 10 countries signed an agreement on long-term cooperation for the benefit of the development of international youth entrepreneurship.

The main areas of work of the Mentors and Investors Club are networking and sharing of experience, joint investments — from pitching startups to monetary infusions, international partnership in the format of business missions to the SCO countries, as well as education and development through master classes, case analysis, and workshops, wyffest.com reported.

Iran prioritizes neighboring countries in science diplomacy

The current administration places a priority on fostering scientific collaborations with neighboring countries, an official with the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, said in May.

The high capacities of the neighboring countries, on one hand, and their need to import Iran’s science and technology, on the other hand, will lay the basis for the expansion of relations, IRNA quoted Farhad Yazdandoost as saying.

The official went on to say that since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the country has made great strides in promoting science, technology, and higher education; it has further demonstrated these accomplishments through interactions with universities around the world. A prime example of that is the Iranian scientific elites, their achievements, and status abroad.

President Masoud Pezeshkian’s administration is trying to restart and promote collaborative efforts with countries where developing science is on the agenda.

Hence, scientific communication is not just limited to neighboring countries, he stated. “We are strengthening scientific and international partnerships with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries.

We are also planning to develop ties with some non-neighboring countries that rely on external scientific support, and import scientific knowledge to share our expertise with them.

Cooperating with Asian leading countries in science like China and South Korea, as well as African and South American countries, will help them get familiar with Iran’s potential, which will definitely bring about favorable results,” the official noted.

MT/MG