Progress in Biological Sciences in Iran: A Comparative Study

Today, the biological sciences are one the most important parts of the basic sciences. This explains why most industrial countries are heavily investing in it. In the USA, more than half of all federal government support in science is allocated to the biological sciences. In the EU, more than 22 million people are employed in professions relating to the biological sciences. In Iran, Science and Technology Initiatives consider basic sciences as one of the important parts of science and most universities educate students in the biological sciences. In addition, some incubators and science parks are devoted to biological sciences. To evaluate the research in biological sciences in Iran, we compared the quantity, quality, international cooperation, and the cooperation between academia and industry with Asian and global universities. To do this, we used Leiden ranking results in two time frames, namely 2008-2011 and 2012-2015. The results demonstrate that Iran stands at a relatively good point based on the number of publications. However, greater efforts are necessary to avoid falling behind in terms of rank. Additionally, this study shows that the quality of publications requires significant improvements. Furthermore, international cooperation of universities should be expanded. Poor industrial cooperation between university and industry is mainly due to the lack of related industries. In conclusion, a detailed plan should be developed to ensure leadership in biological sciences and achieve scientific authority in the field.