Iran has been active in the Jordan-based Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science and Applications (SESAME) project which brings several Middle East nations under a common umbrella to jointly work on scientific topics.
The Synchrotron-Light project at the heart of the facility is capable of generating intense light beams for advanced scientific and technical research.
Deputy Minister of Science Vahid Ahmadi told Mehr News Agency recently that Iran attaches importance to SESAME, the Middle East’s first major international research center for science application research.
Iran is one of the major contributors of SESAME which was officially inaugurated on May 16. The project was first launched in 1999 and the ground breaking ceremony was held on January 6, 2003. But financial and technical infrastructure hurdles delayed the project for more than a decade.
“We plan to make use of the capacities of SESAME project in the future, especially in technological and interdisciplinary fields,” he said.
Iran is required to pay $2 million as membership fees and $200,000 was paid last year. The remaining amount will be paid based on the government's budgetary allocation.
SESAME aims to bring scientists from across the region and beyond to work side by side in research on the peaceful uses of nuclear technology, as well as other fields including biology and medical sciences.
It is modeled on CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) and was developed under the auspices of the UNESCO. Iran's Atomic Energy Agency is an observer on the SESAME council.
The current members are Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Pakistan, Palestine and Turkey.
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