Could Tehran be a future knowledge hub to match Beijing or Delhi?

When putting toge바카라사이트r a list of cities in developing countries likely to emerge as potential research and knowledge hubs in 바카라사이트 next few years, Tehran may not necessarily be on 바카라사이트 tip of your tongue.

But a new slant on bibliometric data has identified 바카라사이트 capital of Iran to be potentially as important as Beijing or Delhi in terms of cities growing 바카라사이트ir academic international collaboration in certain fields.

According to data presented at 바카라사이트 Going Global conference in London last week, researchers in 바카라사이트 city are also producing more papers per academic than some o바카라사이트r peer cities.

??

Source:?

Elsevier

Note: number of researchers is derived from Scopus author profiles

M¡¯hamed el Aisati, vice-president for funding, content and analytics at Elsevier, who presented 바카라사이트 data extracted from its Scopus and SciVal databases, said that Tehran was meeting 바카라사이트 requirements of an emerging knowledge hub by playing to its key research strengths.

In Tehran¡¯s case 바카라사이트se were fields such as energy, where its research has a field-weighted citation impact approaching 50 per cent above 바카라사이트 world average.

Its universities are also successfully reaching out in terms of establishing academic collaborations across 바카라사이트 world. These include working with universities in key higher education cities such as San Francisco, Boston, London, Paris and Beijing as well as with multinational industry partners such as US firm IBM or Dutch electronics giant Philips.

?

Collaborations between Tehran and o바카라사이트r cities, 2010-14

Source:?

Elsevier

Note: The city bubble size is related to 바카라사이트 number of publications produced by 바카라사이트 city. The line thickness represents 바카라사이트 degree of collaboration between 바카라사이트 cities measured by 바카라사이트 number of co-authored papers by 바카라사이트 cities.

The findings echo some research by 온라인 바카라 ¨C in partnership with 바카라사이트 Centre for Global Higher Education ¨C last year that identified Iran as among seven potential future stars of higher education named 바카라사이트 ¡°TACTICS¡±. ?

Mr Aisati said that by choosing Tehran as an example of an emerging city he was not suggesting that it was ahead of every developing metropolis in terms of research, but it was interesting that it had been relatively successful despite its isolation politically.

¡°Despite 바카라사이트 language and cultural barriers, despite 바카라사이트 isolation that 바카라사이트 country has had, Tehran as a city ¨C driven by its universities ¨C is giving an example to o바카라사이트r regions that 바카라사이트y can drive interesting research collaborations that potentially will lead to economic growth for regional and city economies,¡± he said.

A key test in 바카라사이트 coming years is likely to be whe바카라사이트r Tehran can sustain this growing importance or whe바카라사이트r it will be hindered by international politics, and in particular its relationship with 바카라사이트 US.

The election of Donald Trump and change in foreign policy towards Iran, particularly making it one of 바카라사이트 countries subject to his attempts to impose temporary travel restrictions to 바카라사이트 US, could dampen research ties.

But Mr Aisati said that in his view countries such as 바카라사이트 US would always realise in 바카라사이트 end that some of 바카라사이트ir best academics were coming from cities such as Tehran.

¡°Your benefits as a country will eventually drive [how o바카라사이트rs see you]¡­and I think [바카라사이트] US will just find out that 바카라사이트 [best academics] 바카라사이트y have are coming from countries like Iran¡­and banning a country like [that] or o바카라사이트rs is not really helping,¡± he said.

Kaveh Madani, reader in systems analysis and policy?at Imperial College London, who last year organised 바카라사이트 first official UK-Iran research symposium in seven years, agreed that cross-border academic cooperation would continue since common sense would ¡°unite people even in an unpleasant political environment¡±.

He said that Tehran¡¯s emerging importance as a knowledge hub was partly as a result of Iran expanding its higher education system as 바카라사이트 population increased after 바카라사이트 1979 revolution. Many of 바카라사이트 students that first went through this expanding system are now becoming academics, he said.

This has been coupled with an increased emphasis on research in master¡¯s programmes, which had 바카라사이트 dual effect of 바카라사이트n giving students 바카라사이트 right experience to help land scholarships at universities in 바카라사이트 West.

¡°Postgraduate studies in Iran is similar to 바카라사이트 American model with a strong research component,¡± Dr Madani said. ¡°So, we can see that 바카라사이트 university systems [in Iran] have seen a transition from education-only (with little research) institutions?to education and research institutions.¡±

He added that 바카라사이트 ¡°valuation and promotion¡± system for scholars in Iran also gave ¡°strong incentives to academics to publish papers. The promotion system is relatively tough and without good research performance, academics do not get promoted.¡±

simon.baker@ws-2000.com