Iran, Germany sign academic MOU
Iran’s Science, Research and Technology Ministry and the German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst -- DAAD) have recently signed a memorandum of understanding to expand academic relations.
The MOU has been inked by Iranian Deputy Science Minister for International Affairs Arsalan Qorbani and DAAD Secretary General Dorothea Ruland during a meeting in Bonn, the Persian service of IRNA reported on Saturday.
The two countries will expand joint research projects and academic exchange programs based on the MOU.
According to the MOU, the DAAD agreed to consider Iran’s proposal to establish a DAAD branch in Tehran in the near future.
The DAAD is Germany’s major organization supporting international academic cooperation.
The organization runs a collaborative program between an institute at the University of Paderborn in North Rhine-Westphalia and Iran’s University for Religious Denominations (URD) in Qom. The program started in 2010.
It has also organized an academic cooperation between the Institute of Religious Studies (RWI) at Potsdam University and the URD.
DAAD’s decision to organize academic cooperation with the Iranian center for Shia studies has been criticized at the German Federal Parliament’s Committee on Anti-Semitism.
However, the DAAD backed academic cooperation projects with Iran, the University World News reported in August.
“It is important to maintain the few existing channels of communication with Iran,” DAAD President Margret Wintermantel said.