Participants from wide range of countries to attend 6th round of STEP

23 Oct. 2019

MSTF Media reports:

The 6th round of STEP will be held simultaneous with 2019 Mustafa Prize Award Ceremony from November 9 to 11 at different universities in Tehran on the theme of water-energy nexus and health.

The prominent scientists are from 36 countries including Malaysia, Turkey, England, India and Iraq in different fields of water-energy nexus and health, as well as scientific collaboration including science communication, financing for science and technology and also women in science and technology.

The diversity of Islamic countries was very important issue in this round of STEP, since it is important for creating network between scientists, he said.

The executive activities of the guest were also important factor for inviting the guests due to the nature of STEP as an event, which is not only an academic event, he added.

A total of 16 chancellors of universities and 37 faculty directors will attend the event, he explained.

Muslim scientists in non-Islamic countries who are active in renowned universities and academic centers are also amongst the guests of the event, he said.

Seven Iranian universities will co-organized the event and four research centers are covered the sideline events of STEP, he added.

He also explained about STEP-Mate, which calls for university students who want to be volunteers to collaborate during the event.

Over one hundred speeches will be held during the event and an opportunity is provided for Iranian scientists and academics can have face to face meetings with guests, he added.

94 iconic guests will attend the event

During the conference, the secretary of the event Saied Sohrabpour explained about STEP activities, which lead to connection between scientists of Islamic world.

During the 6th round of STEP, 94 guests from 36 countries out of which, 15 of them from Malaysia, 9 from Turkey, 7 from Pakistan and 5 Turkey, will attend the event, he explained.

It is a great opportunity for Iranian academics to get acquaintance with these brilliant scientists, he added.

The Tehran University of Medical Sciences is responsible for health section of the event and Sharif University of Technology will hold energy-water nexus, he explained.

Women in science and Technology program are organized by the Alzahra University and the IBU is responsible for Science communication, he said.

Sohrabpour said that financing for science and technology is organized by Imam Sadiq University.

The opening ceremony will be held at the Alzahra University on November 9 and the foreign guests will attend professional meetings and workshops at different universities on next day, he added.

Guests from different countries including Azerbaijan, Egypt and Uganda will attend the Science communication program which will be held on November 10 and highlights the scientific journalism, the IBU chancellor Shahab Esfandiari said.

World Federation of Science Journalists (WFSJ) member William Odinga and Al-Mayadeen channel's Director Ghassan bin Jaddou are among the guests, he said.

During the event, the head of economics faculty of Imam Sadiq University Seyyed Mehdi Sadeqi also explained about financing science and technology meetings during STEP.

Guests from Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia will give speeches during the meetings, he said.

The event aims to establish an endowment fund for science and technology in Islamic world, he explained.

As previously reported, professor Naweed Syed from Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute (Canada), professor Naim Akhtar Khan from Burgundy University (France), Mohammad Khaja Nazeeruddin from Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (Switzerland), Kamaruzzaman Bin Sopian from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (Malaysia) are the guests of the event..

Other guests are Mohammad Haris Akram and Manzoor Hussain Soomro from Pakistan, Abdulkabir Balikci from Turkey, Mahmoud Abdel-Aty from Egypt, Mustafa Marafi from Kuwait, Amin Shokrolllahi from Switzerland, Ashraf Alam from India and Halit Oguztuzun from Turkey.

What is STEP?

In order to create an atmosphere of cooperation and interaction among experts and scientists from Islamic world, the Mustafa Science & Technology Foundation (MSTF) conducts various activities one of which is STEP. The STEP which is held annually in one of the Islamic Countries offers a wide range of joint cooperative research opportunities and creates a platform for in-depth discussions and exchanges of strategic experience to the Islamic world.

The first and third STEPs were held in Tehran, simultaneous with Mustafa Prize Award Ceremony in 2015 and 2017, in cooperation with Islamic World Academy of Sciences, and various universities and scientific centers. The second STEP was held in Putrajaya, 2016, in collaboration with Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Young Scientists Network, and Academy of Sciences Malaysia. The fourth STEP was held in Muscat, 2-5 December, 2018, hosted by Sultan Qaboos University (SQU).

The 5th STEP on health with an emphasis on female scientists’ contribution was held at the University of Karachi from February 27th to March 2nd, 2019, in collaboration with International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS).