Iranian Student Shines as ‘Young Researcher of the Year’ at BRICS and SCO Awards
In a remarkable achievement for Iranian academia, Hosna Salimi, a student from the Faculty of World Studies at the University of Tehran, has been honored as the ‘Young Researcher of the Year’ at the prestigious BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation Organization Young Leaders Award 2025. This event took place from January 24-26 in Kazan, Russia, attracting over 400 participants from 13 countries.
Competing against a diverse group from nations such as Iran, India, China, and several others, Salimi emerged victorious among a talented pool of candidates. The jury selected 10 winners across five key categories:
- Media Influencer of the Year
- Social Entrepreneur of the Year
- Public Diplomacy Project of the Year
- Researcher of the Year
- Eco-initiative of the Year
Those nominated for the “Young Researcher of the Year” category were recognized for their scientific contributions in diverse fields such as:
- History
- Education
- Art
- Information Technology (IT)
- Law
- Philosophy
- Finance
This award aims to celebrate and elevate young leaders from the BRICS and SCO countries, acknowledging their contributions to socially significant areas and fostering collaboration among youth. Additionally, it provides opportunities for self-realization within these regions.
In another commendable development, four Iranian women have also made headlines by winning the BRICS Women’s Startups Contest 2024. The winners—Azam Karami, Mahvash Abyari, Marzieh Ebrahimi, and Seyedeh Fateme Hosseini—were recognized for their innovative projects aimed at promoting women-led startups across BRICS nations.
The contest, which commenced in June and concluded on October 5, garnered over 1,000 applications from 30 countries, showcasing a range of groundbreaking initiatives. The winning projects spanned several critical areas, including:
- Innovation in energy and infrastructure
- Artificial intelligence in various sectors such as medicine, education, and agriculture
- Robotics and technology aimed at combating cancer and infertility
Among the winners, Iranian women ranked second in terms of the number of awards received, following their counterparts in Russia. Karami was awarded in the category of ‘Artificial Intelligence’ for her project titled ‘Automatic Fault Detection in Power Transmission Lines’. Abyari and Ebrahimi were recognized in the ‘Health and Medicine’ category for their innovative projects: ‘Insightfully Scanned Glucose Monitoring’ and ‘Immune Cell Bank for the Treatment of Cancer and Autoimmune Diseases’, respectively. Hosseini received accolades in the ‘Innovation and Infrastructure’ category for her project, ‘Intelligent Spoon for Tremor Alleviation’.
The contest’s overarching goals include:
- Promoting women’s entrepreneurship and leadership
- Expanding women’s business networks within BRICS countries
- Enhancing B2B cooperation among women entrepreneurs
- Increasing women’s participation in the economies of BRICS nations
- Creating multilateral projects
- Integrating women’s businesses into global value chains
This initiative is backed by prominent financial institutions, including Sberbank PJSC, Russia’s largest bank, and Gazprombank, a key player in Russia’s banking sector. Startups from 14 different countries will benefit from communication support provided by the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance.
As these achievements underscore, Iranian women are making significant strides in the global landscape, contributing to innovative solutions and leadership within the BRICS framework.
