The 9th BRICS Young Scientists Forum and the 7th BRICS Young Innovator Prize were held from November 25 to 29, 2024, in Sochi, Russia. The five-day event brought together over 100 young talents from member countries including the Islamic Republic of Iran, Russia, South Africa, Brazil, India, China, Egypt, Ethiopia and the UAE.

 

The Iranian delegation, made up of eight young scientists and four innovators, participated in the forum through arrangements and coordination by the Center for Progress and Development of I.R. Iran’s Presidency (CPDI), supported by I.R. Iran’s Vice Presidency for Science, Technology, and Knowledge-Based Economy.

 

Iranian scientists and innovators played an active and prominent role in specialized sessions and discussions during the Sochi forum, chairing several specialized panels. The forum focused on four main thematic areas: artificial intelligence, digital humanities, climate and environmental technologies, and convergent technologies.

 

The 7th Young Innovators Prize featured 30 young innovators, presenting their projects in various fields, including green technologies for food, chemicals, agriculture, and artificial intelligence applications. Notably, an Iranian team took part in this competition for the first time. Juries representing the eight participating countries evaluated the innovative ideas based on criteria such as business models, feasibility, and potential. Seyed Mohammad Karbasi, Secretary of the Connectivity and Communication Technologies Headquarters at I.R. Iran’s Vice Presidency for Science, Technology, and Knowledge-Based Economy, served as a member of the jury panel.

 

The Iranian delegation also held some bilateral meetings with representatives from several BRICS countries, including Brazil, China, the UAE, and South Africa. The discussions led to the exchange of constructive ideas in the forum's focus areas and agreements to establish joint working groups to pursue collaborative opportunities.

 

On the final day of the event, Zahra Farahani, Head of the International Organizations Cooperation Division at CPDI and the head of the Iranian delegation, delivered some recommendations aimed at optimizing future related forums during her closing speech. Farahani emphasized the need for data sharing in science, technology, and innovation among BRICS members, as well as conducting in-depth and goal-oriented research on emerging technologies to tackle regional and global challenges. She proposed sharing participants' academic and professional backgrounds along with their areas of expertise prior to any future meeting to foster initial familiarity, enhance focused and purposeful engagement and facilitate better preparation for bilateral and multilateral meetings. The head of Iran’s delegation called for diligent follow-up on the agreements reached during the forum to achieve tangible outcomes.

 

The forum concluded with the announcement of the top BRICS innovators, with Brazil, China, and Russia securing the top three ranks, respectively. The juries also commended Dr. Somayeh Sohrabi for her innovative project, “Cost-Effective Microfluidic Chips for Antibiotic Removal from Water.”