Iran dedicates academic research in defense capabilities

Iranian Minister of Science, Research and Technology Kamran Daneshjou said that half of the country's academic researches have focused on upgrading and boosting the country's defense capabilities."50% of the country's academic researches should focus on increasing Iran's defense power and universities should cooperate with defense entities," Daneshjou said, addressing a gathering of Iranian university chancellors here in Tehran on Tuesday. "All the country's universities are required to direct their researches towards (increasing) the country's defense capability," he reiterated, adding that Iranian students are entitled to work on nuclear, aerospace and stem cell subjects. Earlier in October, Daneshjou had said that the country's universities and academic centers are accomplishing around 300 projects for the defense ministry. Daneshjou underlined the key role of Iran's academic centers in strengthening the country's capability in defense fields, saying that half of the researches carried out at Iran's academic centers are aimed at increasing the country's defense capabilities. Daneshjou stated that 50% of academic research in Iran centers on boosting the country's defensive capabilities. He added that 200 defense projects have thus far been implemented in the form of 1,000 university dissertations and theses. Also in similar remarks earlier this month, Iran's Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said his ministry has launched extensive cooperation with the country's academic centers and universities in numerous projects. "The defense ministry has established extensive ties with the country's universities," Vahidi told FNA in October, and added, "And different universities are working on numerous projects for the defense ministry." He praised the Iranian universities' excellent capacities and potentials, and underlined that "the defense ministry is seeking to activate these potentials and utilize these capabilities". Attracting university elites is among the defense ministry's priorities, according to Vahidi."Naturally, attracting those university elites who have achieved scientific success and specialized in defense fields is a serious agenda of the defense ministry," he reiterated. Tehran launched an arms development program during the 1980-88 Iraqi imposed war on Iran to compensate for a US weapons embargo. Since 1992, Iran has produced its own tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles and fighter planes.