Recent statistics show that Iran's scientific place in the world has advanced by two levels since the new Iranian government took office in August 2013–a feat linked to the growth in cooperation with foreign scientific entities. According to Scopus, Iran's International Science Ranking was 18 and 16 in 2013 and 2015 respectively, which shows a jump of two ranks, IRNA reported. According to the Scopus database, the world percentage of science production in Iran was 1.35 and 1.51 in 2013 and 2015 respectively, which shows a 0.2% growth in its overall standing. Iran ranks first in the region and between other Muslim countries in the fields of science in those years, according to the database, while ISI (Information Sciences Institute) database has ranked Iran at second place. Iran's scientific ranking is expected to improve further in the next couple of years, as the country has signed a significant number of memoranda of understanding with academic institutions globally since the implementation of the nuclear deal and the lifting of western sanctions.
