Iran, Russian universities to focus on maritime economy, AI cooperation

Tehran - BORNA - The meeting, held at the University of Tehran, brought together international affairs deputies and senior directors from Iran's top universities, Russia's science attaché, and representatives from the Russkiy Mir Foundation to discuss the latest status of cooperation and planning for the eighth joint summit.

Elham Aminzadeh, Deputy for International Affairs at the University of Tehran, said the previous summit addressed current issues, crisis resilience, and new educational models. She stressed the need to redefine academic relations under sanctions, asking how Iranian universities can maintain effective connections with other institutions.

Aminzadeh noted that the University of Tehran received about 3,300 foreign applications last year, with 364 ultimately enrolled, 59 percent of whom were doctoral candidates. She said the university has signed 600 international agreements and emphasized that scientific diplomacy should be pursued alongside formal diplomacy.

She added that since the start of the war, Tehran University has engaged with 300 top universities worldwide and reached an agreement with the Korea Foundation for the Sciences to establish a Korean language program at the university. She noted that the university has realized that scientific diplomacy can address issues such as Iranophobia.

Aminzadeh also proposed the formation of a permanent committee for cooperation among top Iranian and Russian universities to identify weaknesses and focus on maritime economy, AI, and other strategic fields.

Mahmoudreza Delavar, Director General of Faculty and International Students at the University of Tehran, said previous summits had been limited to broad topics such as faculty and student exchanges, but that the eighth summit should address practical outcomes. He proposed the establishment of a joint financial fund to support projects, and suggested aerospace, maritime economy, steel, transport, and geophysics as key cooperation areas.

Igor Demkin, Russia's Science and Technology Attaché in Iran, said the cooperation potential between the two countries has only been utilized by about 30 percent. He noted that some 350 agreements have been signed between Iranian and Russian universities, but only 10 to 15 percent have been implemented. He stressed the need to separate essential from non-essential contracts, adding that the next two years represent an opportunity for vital cooperation.

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