TEHRAN – Iranian scientific officials, in separate meetings with Czech and Chinese officials, have explored avenues to expand collaboration between the universities of Iran and the two other countries.

During a Monday meeting between the vice president of the University of Tehran for international affairs, Elham Aminzadeh, and the Czech Republic’s ambassador Vitezslav Grepl, the two sides highlighted the need for the expansion of scientific and cultural interactions between University of Tehran and Czech universities.

“We are interested in promoting cooperation with University of Tehran in different sectors such as philosophy, engineering, architecture, agriculture, and technical fields, as well as conducting joint research projects,” ISNA quoted Grepl as saying.

Referring to the high capacity of University of Tehran in majors such as physics, foreign languages and literature, astronomy, technology and engineering, poetry and literature, Aminzadeh, for her part, voiced University of Tehran's readiness for the implementation of the reached agreements through signing a memorandum of understanding. Exchanging professors and students, and holding collaborative programs, were among the other issues discussed.

According to the latest versions of the Times Higher Education (THE) and the QS World University Rankings, University of Tehran is one of the best Iranian universities worldwide.

The Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Asia University Rankings placed 48 Iranian universities in the list of top universities in 2026, compared to 32 universities in 2025. University of Tehran (with a global ranking of 93) is placed first among Iranian universities.

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026 has placed 101 Iranian universities among the top institutions, up from 85 universities in 2025. University of Tehran is placed second, ranking 401-500 globally.

Shanghai University ranking 2025 placed six Iranian universities among the top 1,000 institutions worldwide, down from 9 in 2024. Tehran University of Medical Sciences and University of Tehran are among the top 500 universities in the world, ranking 401–500 globally.

The 22nd edition of the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings (WUR), 2026, has placed nine Iranian universities among the world’s top institutes, unchanged from the 2025 ranking. University of Tehran, with a global ranking of 322, ranks first among the Iranian universities.

Developing scientific ties with China

Meanwhile, Amin Bazrafshan, the science attaché of Iran in China, held a meeting on Monday with Luo Lin, the director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies (often referred to as the Arab Research Center) at Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU).

During the meeting, the two sides underlined the significance of fostering scientific cooperation between the universities of the two nations.

Bazrafshan said Iran’s science ministry is ready to hold joint Persian language courses in China, IRNA reported.

On April 11, 2025, Saeed Habiba, the deputy minister of science, research, and technology, and Sheng Jianxue, the secretary-general of the China Scholarship Council, met in China and discussed ways for the expansion of scientific cooperation between the universities of the two countries.

The meeting centered around holding joint academic courses, exchanging professors and students, growing government scholarship programs, expanding technological ties, scientific interactions, and sharing expertise.

During the meeting, Habiba elaborated on the academic and scientific potentials and capacities of Iran.

On the sidelines of the meeting, the Iranian official also paid a visit to one of the Chinese technology parks to become more familiar with their technological capacities and scientific achievements

MT/MG