The scientific project “Hope – Mobile Intelligence,” which Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University is implementing jointly with Shiraz University, has reached its two-year milestone. A representative delegation from the Iranian university arrived in the city of Neva to work with colleagues in defining plans for the future.
At present, the scientific and educational cooperation between the Mining University and the Islamic Republic of Iran serves as a demonstrative example of effective international interaction aimed at training a talent pool of future researchers, including holders of doctoral degrees, as well as at developing new solutions for the mineral resource sector. Among the University’s partners are the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Institute for Monitoring Science and Technology and Citation in the Islamic World (ISC), the Research Institute of the Petroleum Industry, as well as three universities.
Each institution has delivered its own set of results. Thus, cooperation with the ISC has made it possible, over the course of two years, to publish approximately 100 articles by scholars of the Mining University in leading Iranian scientific journals ranked in the Q1 and Q2 quartiles. The plans include the establishment of a “Russian–Iranian Centre for Scientometric Research” at the Mining University, which will, in particular, focus on forming a verified network of experts in strategic and critically important sectors of industry.
Such experience has generated significant interest among the domestic academic community, as well as representatives of government and business. Thus, during the Fifth Congress of Young Scientists at the Sirius Educational Center in Sochi, following a lecture by First Vice-Rector Marat Rudakov on cooperation with Iran, he was literally inundated with questions regarding the organization of work with researchers from the Islamic Republic.
The closest relationship of the St. Petersburg University is with Shiraz University, which, according to global rankings, is among the top three universities in Iran (19 faculties, 76 departments, and 430 specializations). Today, the two institutions are connected by general academic student internships, “summer schools” and programs for the study of culture and history, joint publications and seminars, and, most importantly, the scientific project “Hope – Mobile Intelligence”.
A total of 91 researchers are already involved in the project, including 62 from the Russian side. Thirteen research teams have been formed under the leadership of promising young scientists (up to 38 years of age).
The research areas include topics highly relevant to the mineral resource sector, such as enhanced oil recovery and reduction of the carbon footprint of oil production, the development of technologies for producing coke based on petroleum and coal raw materials, and the use of renewable energy sources at oil-producing enterprises.
«The past two years have demonstrated that the agreement signed between our universities has not remained a mere formal declaration of intent to cooperate. Intensive work has been carried out, and in the very near future we expect the results of our joint research to be implemented in industry. The technology closest to practical application is the production of needle coke from petroleum feedstock. I would like to note that this is the first time we have implemented such a scientific project with a foreign university, and two years is a very short period in the scientific world. Ahead lie numerous plans to expand the number of participants and introduce new research areas for the benefit of our countries’ economies», - said Vice-Rector for Research and Technology of Shiraz University, Bahram Hemmatinejad.
Professor Hemmatinejad is among the scholars ranked in the top 1% of the world’s most cited researchers according to the Web of Science ranking. His schedule is planned a year in advance; nevertheless, he traveled to St. Petersburg to discuss the results of the two-year collaboration, since, as he noted, “for Iran, and for Shiraz in particular, this bilateral cooperation is of tremendous importance”.
«Before the ‘Hope – Mobile Intelligence’ project, our students, faculty, and university leadership knew nothing about Russia’s education system, its universities, or the potential of the Mining University. Therefore, at the initial stage, acquaintance was even more important than science. I visited St. Petersburg for the first time. Your university makes a strong impression, but there are aspects that are simply astonishing. For example, the living conditions of students in the dormitories. I have not seen anything like this anywhere else in the world. Secondly, the attention paid to practical training—classes in laboratories, academic and industrial internships. Thirdly, I noted the system of additional professional competencies. Students acquire vocational qualifications as electives, become familiar with digital technologies, are introduced to jewelry making, and even try themselves in the role of a blacksmith. This effort to create a broad technical outlook among young people commands great respect», - Mr. Hemmatinejad shared.
Naturally, each side, in addition to shared objectives, also pursues its own interests. One of the key tasks of the Mining University within the framework of the “Hope – Mobile Intelligence” project is the development of new methods of scientific cooperation in research and the support of scientists in preparing dissertations for the degree of Doctor of Sciences. In implementing these tasks, the University has made significant progress.
«In 2025, 22 articles were published in journals indexed in the Scopus database, including 11 co-authored with colleagues from Shiraz University (Iran). In 2024, this number stood at eight. As they say, feel the difference. Over the past 12 months, seven patents for inventions and one certificate of registration for a computer program have been obtained. Another ten articles and one patent application are on the way. The number of presentations at top-tier scientific conferences and forums delivered by members of the joint teams is even difficult to count. In the past year, the head of one of the research areas, Dmitry Tananykhin, successfully defended his doctoral dissertation. In 2026–2027, seven people plan to defend doctoral dissertations and thirteen—candidate dissertations», - summarized the interim results of the project leader, Dean of the Mining Faculty Oleg Kazanin.
Despite the difficult political situation in Iran in 2025, which necessitated the postponement of some visits, researchers continued to work actively in a remote format.
«We have substantial potential to expand joint research. There are areas in which, despite our accumulated experience, we have not yet collaborated. For example, mechanics, electronics, and petrochemistry. Shiraz University employs highly qualified chemistry professors whose research has brought them global recognition. Together with Russian colleagues, they are ready to develop new directions, form research teams, and carry out field, laboratory, and numerical research using the laboratory and information resources of Iran and Russia. These are numerous and highly promising areas. Among the most relevant are carbon-based nanomaterials», - noted Vice-Rector for International Relations of Shiraz University Mohammad Hossein Sheikhi.
The plans for 2026 include further development of research areas and the introduction of new topics, preparation of joint publications, validation of results at high-level scientific forums and conferences, and implementation of research outcomes. In addition to the “Hope – Mobile Intelligence” project, cooperation will continue in the following areas: the organization of short-term educational programs, including “summer/winter schools”.
The cooperation is organized with the assistance of the International Centre of Competence in Mining Engineering under the auspices of UNESCO.
