TEHRAN –Following a recent agreement within the framework of the joint cooperation committee, Russia and Iran will establish a subcommittee for scientific and technological cooperation, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of Russia Ayrat Gatiyatov has stated.

The official made the remarks in a meeting with the head of Iranian Islamic Seminaries Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, and Iran’s ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali on Tuesday, July 23, IRNA reported.

‘Currently, we are coordinating the composition of the joint committee's membership, and Russia is scheduled to host the first session,’ Gatiyatov said.

He also announced Russia’s full support of fostering research and educational ties with Iran.

Referring to the sixth meeting of the heads of top universities from Iran and Russia at Moscow State University last year, Gatiyatov stressed that these meetings have always yielded practical outcomes and resulted in the signing of memorandums of understanding.

He went on to say that currently, Iran and Russia are conducting 15 joint projects in fields like material sciences and biotechnology which are scheduled to last for three years, with budgets ranging from $40,000 to $70,000.

The official also highlighted the challenges faced by over eight thousand Iranian students in Russia, particularly those who major in the field of medical science, 95 percent of whom face degree recognition issues.

Gatiyatov expressed optimism that authorities would facilitate the recognition and acknowledgment of their degrees soon.

Mutual recognition of degrees

Iran and Russia are about to reach an agreement on mutually recognizing higher education degrees, Hadi Goudarzi, the counselor of the Iranian Embassy in the Russian Federation, has said.

Once the agreement is finalized, the governments of the two countries are expected to sign a document, TASS reported.

The document will cover the recognition of bachelor's, master's, postgraduate and doctoral diplomas.

"More than 90 percent of the agreement is ready, I think it will be signed at the level of the governments of Iran and Russia in the near future," TASS quoted Goudarzi as saying.

Moreover, Iran has just joined BRICS - comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa - starting academic and scientific cooperation with Russia within the BRICS framework.

"I think there will be a lot of meetings between us during this year where new treaties on scientific and practical cooperation within the BRICS framework can be proposed," Goudarzi added.

Boosting scientific ties

In March 2023, officials from the University of Gilan and the University of Lomonosov held a meeting to enhance cooperation.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 15th congress of the Eurasian University Association which was held on March 2 in Moscow, IRNA reported.

Representatives of 125 higher educational institutions from 18 countries attended the congress.

They discussed the improvement of inter-university cooperation, cultural and scientific exchange, and digitalization. The event was organized by Lomonosov Moscow State University.

In this meeting, the vice president of Moscow State University announced the university's readiness to implement the provisions of the memorandum of understanding between the two universities.

The proposal of conducting joint research, sending professors and doctoral students in the form of study opportunities, and holding joint academic courses are among the most important agreements between the two institutions.

MT/MG