MNA � Iran�s Minister of Science, Research and Technology Mansour Gholami said that 50 thousand foreign students are studying at various universities in Iran.

He made the remarks on the sidelines of Tabriz University projects inauguration on Monday in Tabriz, northwest of Iran.

Gholami said that one of the major programs of the Ministry of Science is to develop international interactions between professors and students in recent years, adding that a large number of Iran�s graduate students and academic professors go to universities in other countries to study which can have serious effects on cultural exchanges and political interactions.

In recent years, a significant number of collaborative research projects have been implemented with researchers from other countries� universities, he noted.

The priority of these joint projects is on new sciences and technologies, such as biotechnology in the agricultural sector and energy technologies, science minister mentioned.

Referring to the acceptance of foreign students, he said that the number of foreign students in the fields of empirical sciences, basic sciences, agriculture, engineering and medicine is gradually increasing.