Iran’s 27th Royan International Congress is set to take place next week in Tehran despite the country’s ongoing conflict, bringing together more than 1,200 registered participants and featuring 447 accepted research projects and paper abstracts. The event is organized by the Royan Institute and the University of Science and Culture.
The congress, scheduled to open on September 1 at the University of Science and Culture, includes the 27th Congress on Reproductive Biomedicine, the 22nd Congress on Stem Cells, and the 21st Nursing and Midwifery Seminar. Scientific sessions will run from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on September 2 and 3, accompanied by six workshops addressing clinical, therapeutic, and basic science topics.
Executive Secretary Rouhollah Fathi emphasized that despite various challenges over the past 27 years, the congress has consistently been held without interruption. This year, organizers received 589 submissions, of which 447 were accepted after thorough review. The presentations will include talks by leading Iranian and international researchers.
The stem-cell program will focus on fields such as cell and developmental biology, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, novel cancer therapies, and gene therapy. Additionally, panels will explore themes like entrepreneurship, commercialization, and maintaining scientific resilience amid difficult conditions. A new reproductive-medicine section will address monitoring the health of mothers and children conceived through assisted reproductive technologies, aiming not only to facilitate childbirth for infertile couples but also to ensure maternal and child health, according to Azam Dalman, the section’s scientific secretary.
Reza Moghadasali, scientific secretary of the stem-cell section, noted that a dedicated panel on “scientific resilience in academic environments in difficult conditions” will engage academics, students, and emerging researchers.
The congress will host speakers from 13 countries, including Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, Russia, the United States, and Australia. While Persian will be the primary language, international guests will present in English.
The opening ceremony will honor six distinguished Iranian scientists: Professor Kazem Parivar, Professor Mojtaba Rezazadeh Balochi, Professor Hamid Mirzadeh, Dr. Saghahr Salehpour, Dr. Mohammad Kazemini, and Dr. Marzieh Ebrahimi. Alongside the conference, an exhibition featuring 30 knowledge-based companies and medical and pharmaceutical equipment manufacturers will be held.
Founded in 1991 by Dr. Saeid Kazemi Ashtiani and colleagues at the Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, the Royan Institute began as a surgical center for infertile couples and has since become a prominent regional research hub in reproductive medicine, stem cell biology, and biotechnology. The institute gained international recognition for producing Royana, the Middle East’s first cloned sheep in 2006, and for its work treating more than 10,000 infertile couples annually and publishing extensively in scientific journals.