The presidential science and technology deputy called for more attention to PhD dissertations saying ‘’a two-hour defense session for a PhD dissertation is a waste of effort and even a betrayal of scientific endeavor.’’ Dr. Sorena Sattari who was addressing a gathering of university presidents in Kerman Province complained of a lack of ‘’research-oriented’’ atmosphere in universities and said ‘’the economic structure of universities is alien to research and this must change.’’ He said oil industry has dominated the national economy and the trend must shift towards research and technology. Sattari also called for research centers to become ‘’profit-based’’ and said “it will be a mistake to keep research institutes under government control.”
