AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Hossein Afshin, Iran’s Vice President for Science, Technology, and Knowledge-Based Economy, announced plans to activate the international potential of AhlulBayt International University within the framework of national programs aimed at expanding international scientific cooperation.
During a visit to the university and a meeting with members of its board of trustees, Afshin highlighted the institution’s outstanding capacity to attract foreign students and emphasized the need to channel this potential into structured national initiatives.
Stating that more than 90 percent of the university’s student body consists of non-Iranian nationals, Afshin said, “This demographic composition constitutes a strategic capacity for expanding the country’s scientific and technological diplomacy.” He added that AhlulBayt International University, by leveraging its extensive communication network, particularly in interdisciplinary fields, can play a central role in the “iConnect” initiative and in the development of joint technological collaborations.
Elaborating on the programs of the Organization for International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Development, Afshin introduced two key initiatives, “Connect” and “iConnect.” He explained that the Connect program has been designed specifically for Iranian experts residing abroad. Under this initiative, short-term participation of Iranian researchers, professors, and specialists living overseas is supported for teaching, holding seminars, research fellowships, or implementing research projects inside the country.
“Our objective is to prevent the scientific isolation of Iranians abroad and to systematically harness their capacities in the path of national technological development,” he stated.
Afshin also announced the operation of Iran’s Technology and Innovation Houses in 15 countries across Africa, Europe, and Latin America. These offices, he said, function as bridges between Iranian knowledge-based companies and global markets and can facilitate scientific cooperation between AhlulBayt International University and academic centers in other countries. The network is expected to expand further with the addition of four new offices.
He added that the center will simultaneously provide services to domestic Iranian experts, researchers residing abroad, and non-Iranian elites. It will also be capable of hosting technology teams, young entrepreneurs, and groups of foreign professors to advance joint scientific projects.
**************
End/ 345
