TEHRAN - The Fars provincial department of cultural heritage, tourism and handicrafts and Shiraz University of Art signed a cooperation agreement on Saturday to establish a self-funded Iranology research institute in the southern province of Fars, officials said.

The agreement was signed during a ceremony attended by university officials, faculty members, researchers and cultural heritage authorities, according to statements released by the provincial cultural heritage department.

Behzad Moridi, director-general of cultural heritage, tourism and handicrafts in Fars province, said the institute would focus on interdisciplinary and applied research related to Iranian identity, cultural heritage and tourism.

"No program can achieve sustainable results without scientific and research support," Moridi said at the signing ceremony. "The path of development for cultural heritage, tourism and handicrafts should be based on specialized studies and the capacities of universities."

Moridi said the initiative was intended to narrow the gap between academic research and executive implementation. He said researchers often produce valuable findings that are not sufficiently used in policymaking, while government agencies do not fully benefit from scientific capacities.

He said the idea of establishing the Iranology institute emerged after months of discussions between the provincial department, Shiraz University of Art and a group of academics and researchers.

According to Moridi, the institute will conduct research on Iranian identity, tangible and intangible heritage and the country's cultural capacities. He said it would seek to support the preservation of historical sites, the development of cultural tourism and the strengthening of the heritage economy through applied studies.

Under the agreement, the institute will operate through five specialized groups: archaeology and tangible heritage; architecture, restoration, urban planning and adaptive reuse; art and handicrafts; anthropology, linguistics and identity studies; and heritage management, tourism economics and branding.

AM