TEHRAN – The Iran-China Talented Young Scientist Program (TYSP) has so far facilitated the dispatch of 71 Iranian scholars to the top Chinese scientific center to conduct research, laying the groundwork for expanding scientific and research cooperation between the two countries.

The TYSP is an international mobility scheme funded by the Chinese government aimed at cultivating future leading scientists, together with other countries.

According to the Vice Presidency for Science, Technology, and Knowledge-Based Economy, the two countries started the young scientists exchange program in 2017, IRNA reported.

The program, which includes scholarships and financial support from Chinese universities, as well as educational and research institutes, came to a halt following the Covid-19 pandemic. The program restarted in October 2024.

The new edition of the Iran-China TYSP, announced in January 2025, opened up 53 opportunities for young scientists from the two countries.

The majority of Iranian applicants are associate professors or those with higher degrees, and the rest are selected among faculty members and researchers.

TYSP offers sponsorship for talented young scientists from other countries to work in China on a full-time basis for 6 or 12 months together with China’s team; the Ministry of Science and Technology of China has allocated 12,500 yuan per month to support the implementation of research activities of the young talented scientists in China.

Iranian scholars are primarily working with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tongji University, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and China Agricultural University.

Agricultural sciences and plant protection, earth sciences and natural hazard management, physics and optics, mathematics and computer science, materials science and engineering, energy, and bioinformatics are among the most important scientific fields in the TYSP program.

TYSP promotes cross-border exchanges of excellent young scientists, scholars, and researchers. The program also enhances cooperation among research institutes, universities, and enterprises.

When the program is over, participant will receive a TYSP Certificate based on their performance evaluation.

The executive agency will continue to follow up on the project management, encourage foreign experts and their host institutes to continue cooperation, and apply for bilateral intergovernmental joint research projects.

INSF, NSFC to support joint research projects

Iran and China will support the implementation of five out of 190 research projects proposed in the Traditional Medicine and Medicinal Plants, and Energy sectors after the fifth joint call by the Iran National Science Foundation (INSF) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC).

The grant, amounting to 40 billion rials (some 30,000 dollars) for each research project, will be allocated to the following fields.

1. Traditional Medicine and Medicinal Plants: Evidence-based integration and standardization of traditional Chinese and traditional Persian medicine for major diseases; Sustainable medicinal plants: eco-cultivation, biodiversity, and resilience; and the Application of Digital and AI Tools in the Classification, Analysis, and Clinical Research of Traditional Medicine and Medicinal Plants.

2. Energy: Renewable Energy; High-efficiency Utilization of Conventional Energy; Energy-Related Materials; Storage Technologies; and the Application of Artificial Intelligence in the Energy Field.

Supported by the INSF and the NSFC, an Iranian-Chinese workshop was held from November 10 to 12, 2025, focusing on new technologies for decarbonization and the sustainable built environment.

Organized by Sharif Energy, Water, and Environmental Research Institute and Chongqing University, China, the three-day event is being conducted in English, with participants attending the workshop in person and online, IRNA reported.

It was centered around pathways toward a net-zero and decarbonized energy future, sustainable sectors, and carbon efficiency, as well as innovation and digitalization for the energy transition, and the development of climate-resilient and resource-efficient cities.

The workshop served as a valuable step towards expanding scientific ties between the two countries to lower carbon dioxide emissions and develop a sustainable environment.

MT MG