TEHRAN – Shahid Beheshti University and the University of Salento, Italy, have signed a memorandum of understanding to foster scientific, research, and educational ties.

During a meeting held on Saturday in Tehran, Mahmoud-Reza Aqamiri, the chancellor of Shahid Beheshti University, and Fabio Pollice, the chancellor of the University of Salento, explored avenues for expanding scientific ties. They also become familiar with the capacities of the two universities, the ministry of science, research, and technology reported.

Based on the signed MOU, the two universities will cooperate in several areas, such as promoting educational, research, and cultural progress through holding joint educational courses for undergraduate and post-graduate students in selected fields, as well as providing sabbatical leaves for faculty members and Ph.D. students.

It also includes conducting research projects, holding workshops and seminars collaboratively, sharing academic data, publishing joint articles, exchanging post-graduate students, as well as organizing faculty members’ meetings.

On April 13, Allameh Tabatabai University of Tehran and the University of Salento, Italy, signed an MOU to enhance scientific collaborations in social and human sciences.

During the meeting held in Tehran, Shoja Ahmadvand, the chancellor of Tabatabaei University, and Pollice discussed ways to expand scientific cooperation, Mehr news agency reported.

Teaching Persian and Italian languages, holding short-term courses, exchanging students and professors, launching an archaeology major and a Persian-Italian journal, conducting Erasmus+ projects in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, and donating books to the libraries of the two universities were among the points proposed by Ahmadvand, which was well-received by the Italian side.

For his part, Pollice suggested holding virtual Persian and Italian language courses, organizing online meetings among faculty members of the two universities and the two peer scientific groups to help them become more familiar with the existing capacities, fostering interactions between professors of the two universities, and exchanging professors and students for short-term courses with the aim of paving the way for long-term exchanges.

The signed MOU centers around exchanging scientific data, books, journals, and scientific and research documents in educational, research, and technical fields of interest to both parties, exchanging articles to be published in relevant journals, and offering mutual facilities for sabbatical leaves.

It also highlights collaboration on the establishment of joint educational courses and educational programs with mutually recognized degrees, attending international events in various educational fields being held at each of the universities, and collaborative supervision of postgraduate students. 

In February 2024, Luiss University of Italy announced its readiness to reinforce scientific and academic cooperation with Iranian universities, IRNA reported.

During the meeting held between Andrea Prencipe, the chancellor of the Rome-based university, and Mohammad-Reza Sabouri, the Iranian ambassador to Rome, the Italian official said that a number of Iranian students are studying at Luiss University. He expressed the university’s readiness to attract more Iranian students.

Sabouri, for his part, highlighted scientific and academic achievements and capabilities of the country in various fields, including economics, management, political science, and international relations, announcing Iran’s readiness to exchange professors and students with Luiss University.

MT/MG