TEHRAN - The Vice Presidency for Science, Technology, and Knowledge-Based Economy has played an effective role in encouraging 2,600 Iranian researchers and experts residing abroad to return to the country.

The goal was attained with the successful implementation of a "cooperation program with Iranian experts and entrepreneurs abroad", IRNA reported.

 This program is a joint collaboration between the Center for International Interactions of Science and Technology of the Vice Presidency for Science, Technology, and Knowledge-Based Economy and the National Elites Foundation.

It has led to the formation of a suitable infrastructure for using the scientific and technological capacity and power of Iranian experts in various specialized fields.

As part of the program, more than 10,000 Iranian experts and researchers residing abroad have been recruited, and more than 2,600 researchers and experts from the world's top universities (mostly from America, Canada, and European countries) have returned to the country.

Some 19 percent of the researchers and experts are graduates of the top 20 universities in the world (such as MIT, Stanford, Cambridge, Harvard, Berkeley, Illinois, Imperial College, Princeton, Michigan, National Singapore, and EPFL) and about 79 percent of the people have spent five years outside Iran.

Threat or opportunity?

International migrations are extremely important in today's world and all countries are facing this phenomenon to varying degrees.

Accordingly, immigration is considered an opportunity for many countries and a threat for some countries, and the difference between countries in terms of whether immigration is an opportunity or a threat for them is the type of encounter with the issue and the way it is managed.

In this regard, the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology, in cooperation with the National Elites Foundation, launched a joint program with Iranian experts and entrepreneurs abroad in 2016 with the aim of creating a mechanism to benefit from the valuable knowledge and experiences of Iranian researchers and experts abroad.

The program has been developed and implemented within the framework of post-doctorate studies, exchanging professors, establishing technological companies, and holding specialized workshops.

The audience of this program includes Ph.D. graduates from one of the top 200 universities in the world, professors from one of the top 200 universities in the world, and professionals and entrepreneurs active in one of the leading scientific and technological institutions or foreign knowledge-based companies.

Removing hurdles

This program aims to solve the basic challenges mentioned by Iranian elites interested in cooperation with the country.

The challenges include a "lack of a specific mechanism to establish relationships with selected scientific and technological institutions and centers", and "unfamiliarity with the country's scientific and technological situation in the specialized field".

Over the past six years, it has been able to be a bridge between Iranian experts and scientists abroad with more than 150 scientific and technological centers, including top universities, research institutes, technology parks, and domestically selected knowledge-based companies in the shortest possible time, and has provided them with the capacities available to introduce different fields of science and technology.

Another achievement of this program is the creation of 280 knowledge-based companies and startups in various fields of "Artificial Intelligence", "Biotechnology", "Nano", "Energy", "Information and Communication Technology" and so on.

These companies have provided the ground for the direct employment of the best domestic specialists and graduates.

Also, more than 450 researchers who have returned so far to the country have been recruited by the faculty of top-ranked domestic universities as part of this program, which has had a great impact on raising the quality level of research, educational and international activities of universities.

Also, in the past two years, special virtual meetings were held with Iranian experts and researchers living in Canada, North America, and some European countries with the aim of introducing the programs of the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology and the National Elites Foundation, focusing on projects and support programs in the field of coronavirus.

The important point in providing conditions for the return of elites is to increase their commitment every time they are in the country to participate in activities related to the field of science and technology.

The goal is to create a sense of dependence and responsibility in Iranian elites towards the country, which should be done step by step.

MG