The closing ceremony of the 8th Festival of Young Scholars and Scientists was held in the presence of Dr. Hossein Simaei Sarraf – Minister of Science, Research and Technology, Dr. Fatemeh Mohajerani – Government Spokesperson, Dr. Hassan Fartoosi – Secretary General of the UNESCO-Iran National Commission, Dr. Seyed Hossein Hosseini – President of the University of Tehran, Deputy Ministers of Science, Parliamentary Deputy of the Iranian Broadcasting Corporation, Deans of the country’s top universities and prominent university benefactors in the Allameh Amini Hall of the Central Library of the University of Tehran.
According to the Permanent Secretariat of the Festival, Dr. Simaei Sarraf – Minister of Science, Research and Technology described the holding of this festival and the action of the University of Tehran as a service to science and technology and stated: “This work is very commendable and can be a suitable model for encouraging young researchers.”
Referring to the holding of various scientific awards at the student and undergraduate level, Dr. Fatemeh Mohajerani – Government Spokesperson also said: Paying attention to the capacity of individuals is important. To achieve this, after providing free public education to individuals, training should be provided in accordance with their capacity. The government has been responsible for some of this training, but there is always more space for other supports. There must also be a link between the capacity of individuals and the needs of society.
The government spokesman continued: If our efforts are only for money and status, our ultimate growth will be limited. If we take steps to please the people and progress the country, we will be closer to human and divine values.
Dr. Mohajerani said: The existence of a context that can provide a connection between the talents of individuals and issues existing in society is a very important issue, and the groups that take steps in this direction and help identify issues should be appreciated.
Noting that this festival is being held in cooperation with the University of Tehran and a private economic foundation, he said: These groups can spend resources in other areas, such as the economy, but the fact that they spend in these areas is valuable and deserves appreciation.
Dr. Seyed Hossein Hosseini, the rector of the University of Tehran, considered one of the festival’s commendable features to be its focus on basic sciences, saying: “The reality is that the field of basic sciences in our country has many problems, because at a macro level, the necessary policy has not been formulated to use these sciences. In fact, the neglect of basic sciences stems from a social and cultural perspective, the consequences of which we see in the selection of subjects for the entrance exam: out of more than one million and 200 thousand candidates, only a few choose basic sciences; while the progress of the technological field all over the world is due to basic sciences, and for this reason, special investments are made in this sector.”
Dr. Hosseini noted: “The festival’s special focus on basic sciences encourages young researchers in this field, and this is encouraging. Undoubtedly, the young people who are being considered and appreciated today at this conference will be prominent figures in the country’s science field in the not-so-distant future. Basically, holding a festival called “Young Thinkers and Scientists” can be an inspiration for the country’s youth and a source of positive cultural effects.” Dr. Hosseini stated that another positive feature of this festival is its focus on entrepreneurship, adding: “The link between basic sciences and entrepreneurship is a blessed and valuable link. From this perspective, such a conference is also hopeful and motivating for young people.” Dr.
Mahmoud Kamrei, the festival’s chairman, also stated that this festival has become one of the country’s leading festivals with the support of the Ministry of Science, and said: “For the country’s scientific development, we must go through three stages: a research paper is the first stage, which alone does not solve a problem; the next step is drawing conclusions from the paper and achieving a scientific achievement; the third and main stage is the stage of impact, which means simplifying and improving the quality of human life. We hope that this festival will be an opportunity for young people and young thinkers to reach the third stage from the first stage.”
He continued by mentioning the festival process and said: “In this festival, 407 ideas were received in the idea generation section, out of which 10 teams were selected after a rigorous judging process. In the startup business section, 52 teams also participated, out of which 4 teams were selected.”
Mr. Ebrahim Jamili, Chairman of the Festival Policy Council and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Jamili Science and Technology Foundation, also stated the goal of holding this festival as the connection of science and wealth, adding: “We love Iran and we must build Iran for ourselves and future generations. We invite idea generation to present solutions to solve the country’s problems so that the shortcomings in the field of production and obstacles to the country’s development path can be eliminated.”
Dr. Reza Ameri, the festival’s secretary, said about the role of basic sciences and the importance of investing in this area: “It may seem that basic sciences are in the laboratory to respond to individual and personal curiosities of people and only answer fundamental questions of humanity in explaining phenomena, but basic sciences have played an unparalleled role in the development of various technologies and achievements of humanity.”
Regarding the Jamili Science and Technology Foundation, he said: “The work this foundation does is a neglected model in our society. Universities in the world have a public base, and people and non-governmental organizations help universities so that universities and researchers can turn their ideas into products.”
He noted: “This work is trust in a great future so that academics can use knowledge, turn it into a product, and use it in society.”
Dr. Seyed Mahmoud Reza Aghamiri, president of Shahid Beheshti University, also mentioned in his speech the importance of basic sciences and the value and status of the Festival of Young Thinkers and Scientists.
Other programs of the festival included commending the winners and appreciating the festival’s jury committee in the scientific and start-up business sections.
