TEHRAN – Iran’s deputy science minister, Abolfazl Vahedi, and Pakistan’s Science Minister, Khalid Hussain Magsi, have discussed ways to develop collaborations between universities of the two countries.

The officials met on Thursday on the sidelines of the first International Conference on Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI): Catalysts for Regional Connectivity and Sustainable Development in the ECO Region (ECONEX 2025), on April 17–18, held in Islamabad, Pakistan, IRNA reported.

The meeting centered around benefiting from the academic engagement of the two countries to further scientific and research interactions among students and professors.

Vahedi also invited the Pakistani official to participate in the second ministerial meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)–15 Dialogue Platform, which is scheduled to be hosted by Tehran.

The first International Conference on STI was jointly organized by the ECO Science Foundation, the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, and the ECO Secretariat.

The two-day event provided a high-level platform for the exchange of ideas, fostering regional cooperation, and promoting cross-border collaboration aimed at driving economic growth and sustainable development within the ECO region. It brought together a diverse group of stakeholders, including policymakers, scientists, industry leaders, and academics, to explore STI-driven solutions to shared regional challenges.

In 2024, a delegation of Pakistani academic members headed by Mukhtar Ahmed, the chairman of Pakistan’s higher education commission, visited Iran’s House of Innovation and Technology (iHiT) on January 15, IRNA reported.

“The main challenges in the development of Islamabad–Tehran relations have been overcome, and the two countries are ready to further boost ties in higher education, science, and technology,” the Pakistani official said.

Mukhtar Ahmed, in a meeting with Amir-Hossein Mir-Abadi, the former head of the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology’s center for international affairs, said Iran and Pakistan are confronting similar problems and challenges; these common issues can lay the basis for boosting mutual relations and cooperation. “Pakistan is interested in cooperating and interacting with Iran in scientific and technological fields,” he added.

Exchanging academic staff, including professors and students, and conducting joint projects were among the main options to expand cooperation between Iran and Pakistan.

Talking about setting up national pavilions in different countries, Ahmed said Pakistan is ready to hold Iranian pavilions, too.

He hoped that the bilateral cooperation would be extended into regional cooperation, including other countries such as India and Bangladesh.

For his part, Mir-Abadi said, “Iran is ready to cooperate with Pakistan in technological fields. Information and communication technology, agriculture, and health are among the fields in which the two countries can boost cooperation.”

MT/MG