TEHRAN – Iranian and Polish officials have highlighted the importance of boosting scientific, research, and technological cooperation between the two countries.

During a meeting held on Tuesday, Science Minister Hossein Simaei-Sarraf and Polish Minister of Science and Higher Education,  Marcin Kulasek, agreed to revive scientific and technological agreements.

The officials met on the sidelines of the 22nd annual meeting of the Science and Technology Society (STS) forum, held in Kyoto, Japan, from October 5 to 7.

Also, the two officials exchanged invitations to visit each other’s countries and become more familiar with universities and their scientific achievements, msrt.ir reported.

Established in 2004, the Science and Technology in Society (STS) Forum is an annual international conference held each October in Kyoto. The 2025 edition, taking place from 5–7 October, marks the 22nd Annual Meeting.

The Forum provides a global platform for policymakers, business leaders, scientists, researchers, and media representatives to discuss how science and technology can best serve humanity.

Nearly 1,400 global leaders from over 80 countries, regions, and international organizations attended the event.

The Iranian official also met his Japanese counterpart; they emphasized maintaining and promoting scientific relations, utilizing the elites’ capabilities in the two countries to improve scientific interactions between them.

During the meeting,  Simaei-Sarraf called on Japan to increase the number of scholarships for Iranian students.

A successful model of sci-tech development

In September, Muhammad Iqbal Chaudhry, the coordinator general of the Standing Committee for Scientific and Technological Cooperation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (COMSTECH), highlighted Iran’s capacity in innovation and technology as one of the most successful countries in the world.

The official made the remarks while addressing the inauguration of the COMSTECH center in Tehran’s Pardis Technology Park.

Pardis Technology Park is the best model of an innovative ecosystem in West Asia that has experienced a notable growth over the past two decades, IRNA quoted Chaudhry as saying.

The park’s infrastructures and extensive network play a pivotal role in promoting scientific cooperation in the Islamic world, and the establishment of the joint academy in the region will be a milestone in promoting joint scientific and technological advancement, the official noted.

Iran ranks 72 in technology, innovation

According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Technology and Innovation Report 2025, Iran is ranked among upper middle-income countries, ranking 72nd among 166 countries.

The country’s ranking has improved by one position compared to 2022.

UNCTAD has categorized 17 types of technologies as frontier technologies, including artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, big data, 5G, 3D printing, robotics, drone technology, solar photovoltaic, concentrated solar power, biofuels, biogas and biomass, wind energy, green hydrogen, electric vehicles, nanotechnology, and gene editing.

The Technology and Innovation Report 2025: Inclusive Artificial Intelligence for Development surveys the complex artificial intelligence landscape, aiming to help decision-makers design science, technology, and innovation policies that foster inclusive technological progress.

The Report 2025 calls for AI that puts people first and is shaped through global cooperation in which all countries have a say. The Report identifies three key leverage points – infrastructure, data, and skills – offering a broad socioeconomic perspective on AI while analyzing requirements and policies to promote sustainable industrialization and innovation.

The sub-indices of readiness for frontier technologies in 2025 show that Iran’s best ranking is in the research and development sub-index (35th in the world).

In the finance sub-index, the country’s ranking has improved from 62 in 2022 to 56 in 2025. In other sub-indexes like skills and the establishment of information and communication technology, its ranking has lowered from 74 and 78 in 2022 to 82 and 94 in 2025, respectively.

MT/MG