TEHRAN – A delegation of Greek academic officials has visited the University of Science and Culture and the Iranian Cultural and Creative Industries Park to explore scientific and technological capacities and identify opportunities for strengthening academic ties between the two countries.

The meeting on Monday focused on turning academic relations into practical programs, including student exchanges, joint research projects, cooperation in economics and management, and the development of professional training courses, IRNA reported.

The officials also discussed the capacity of the University of Science and Culture to become a member of the Black Sea Universities Network (BUSN), which could lay the ground for expanding academic interactions in regional scientific cooperation.

They also talked about the possibility of benefiting from the Greek embassy to facilitate academic ties and sign memoranda of understanding with Greek universities.

During the meeting, Ali Sadollah, an official with the University of Science and Culture, detailed the capacities of the university in different fields like engineering, humanities, law, art, architecture, tourism, and life sciences, noting that more than 320 international students are majoring at this university.

Noting that the University of Science and Culture is cooperating with more than 30 universities in 14 countries, He announced readiness to foster collaborations with Greek universities through exchanging students, conducting joint research projects, and holding international conferences.

The official also highlighted the university’s cooperation with specialized institutions affiliated with the Academic Center for Education, Culture, and Research (Jahad-e Daneshgahi), including Royan Institute, Ibn Sina Institute, and the Iranian Cultural and Creative Industries Park.

The importance of the Iranian Cultural and Creative Industries Park in this international collaboration lies in its ability to link academic and research capacities with the ecosystem of creative businesses and cultural industries, which in turn facilitates the expansion of collaborative efforts into domains like cultural economy, innovation, soft technologies, and development of international cultural activities.

On October 28, the delegation visited Shahid Beheshti University to explore ways to expand academic ties between the two countries.

The delegation attended a scientific roundtable at the Faculty of Economics and Political Sciences, where Shahid Beheshti University Chancellor Mahmoud-Reza Aqamiri and Greek academic officials emphasized the importance of strengthening scientific, research, and educational cooperation.

During the meeting, the two sides explored areas for collaboration, including exchanges of professors and researchers, sharing expertise, conducting joint research and educational projects, and attracting students.

Underscoring the need to address human and legal dimensions of the war against Iran, the Greek delegation called for the expansion of scientific, interdisciplinary, and international cooperation to strengthen social justice and confront shared challenges.

Iranian academic officials, for their part, emphasized the historical interactions between the two nations and stressed the need to address challenges, such as financial constraints, difficulties with travel, bank transactions, visa-related issues, and administrative obstacles, prior to developing joint scientific efforts.

Also, they suggested holding online meetings, publishing joint articles, promoting library cooperation, and implementing ongoing research projects as practical measures for the enhancement of academic ties between the two countries.

According to Aqamiri, Shahid Beheshti University would follow up on the implementation of the reached agreements and lay the basis for sustainable scientific interactions between the two sides.

Iran ranks first in key scientific output among Islamic countries

Iran ranks first among Islamic nations in key fields of scientific output such as quantum science, cognitive sciences, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and advanced materials, the head of the Presidential Affairs Office at the Islamic World Science Citation Center (ISC) announced in August.

The country is in close competition with Turkey and Saudi Arabia in these fields, IRNA quoted Saeed Bakhtiari as saying.

He made the remarks in a press briefing on August 17, noting that the development of science in these fields has also been emphasized in national development plans.

Based on the reputable Web of Science database, Iran ranks first among Islamic countries in scientific output in some of these fields, while placing second or third in others. Overall, however, Iran holds the top position, he said.

Bakhtiari noted that in advanced materials—a multidisciplinary field spanning physics, chemistry, mechanics and materials science—Iran ranks second among Islamic countries and ninth worldwide.

He added that Iran ranks third in artificial intelligence, behind Saudi Arabia and Turkey, while in quantum science it ranks second, after Saudi Arabia.

The ISC official further said that Iran holds the top position among Islamic countries in scientific output in cognitive sciences and ranks first overall.

MT/MG