Internationalization of Research Institutes in Iran: A Study of Trends and Prospects

In today's world, the international nature of science is one of the universal principles of scientific development. In clearer terms, the knowledge acquired in a country is recognized as science when it can be presented and accepted in the global and international sphere. The efforts of the scientific and research institutes to achieve a top international position and to be present in the global networks of science and technology can be clearly explained in this process. This paper mainly aims at examining the process of internationalization of research institutes in Iran and its main purpose is to explain how to promote the position of Iranian research institutes in the international arena. Now, the main question is: what is the future prospect of internationalization of research institutes in Iran? This question has been answered through using the theoretical framework of structure-agent analysis, the theory of globalization, case study, and Manuel Castells’ world of networks. The research methods used in this article are: documentary studies and process research in a way that in addition to examining the documents and output of policy-making institutions, the experiences of five selected research institutes in the fields of humanities, engineering, and basic sciences through using case study method have been analyzed. The main achievement of this study is that the internationalization of research institutes requires the realization of the relevant indicators at three levels; namely, macro (policy maker), intermediate (research institute), and micro (institute members). In this process, creating a suitable ecosystem and planning at macro level are of the first priority. Within this ecosystem, on the basis of the structure-agent model, the role of the surrounding structures as well as determining the activities of research institutes along with the role of the will of the actors within the research institutes should be considered.