A delegation from Al-Ameed University in Karbala, accompanied by medical equipment specialists, visited the Pharmaceutical Products Technology Incubator and the Iran Advanced Clinical Training Center (IACT) at Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) to explore the university’s research, technological, and educational capacities and identify opportunities for collaboration.

On Tuesday, November 3, 2026 (12 Aban 1405), the delegation visited various departments of the two centers as part of efforts to strengthen academic cooperation, learn about technological achievements, and explore opportunities for educational collaboration.

Pharmaceutical Technology Incubator: Bridging Academia and Industry

During the first part of the visit, Dr. Mahmood Biglar, Head of the Pharmaceutical Products Technology Incubator, welcomed the delegation and introduced the center's history and activities.

He explained that the facility had served as an industrial internship site for pharmacy students during the 1960s and 1970s. Today, it operates as an incubator, serving as a bridge between academia and industry and supporting faculty members seeking to develop industrial activities.

Referring to the center's achievements since the 2000s, Dr. Biglar noted that more than 210 products had been developed there. He added that approximately 700 people currently work across 20 knowledge-based companies based at the center.

He also highlighted the advantage of the center's location near the School of Pharmacy. While regulations require pharmaceutical factories to be located at least 120 kilometers from the capital, the center's proximity to the university enables faculty members and researchers to develop products based on national needs, particularly imported items, and manufacture them in the facility's clean rooms.

Dr. Biglar emphasized that the center's primary objective is to address the country's actual needs and support import substitution through domestic production.

Dr. Shadi Yousefian, Deputy Head of the center, further explained that pharmaceutical products manufactured at the incubator undergo the required clinical stages, quality tests, and evaluations, in line with the standards applied by large pharmaceutical manufacturers. She attributed the center's achievements to the sustained efforts of its faculty members and researchers and expressed hope that its successful model could be expanded to other centers.

IACT: Advancing Clinical Skills Training

The delegation also visited the Iran Advanced Clinical Training Center (IACT), where Dr. Alireza Mirbagheri, Head of the Center, introduced its medical equipment and facilities.

Referring to the center's activities since 2017, Dr. Mirbagheri explained that its approach focuses on vertical development and quality improvement. He added that, within this period, the center had obtained the necessary approvals for all its programs, as well as certain international accreditations, including those associated with the School of Medicine.

Delegation Members and Prospects for Cooperation

The Al-Ameed University delegation included Dr. Fatemeh Abdulkarim Issa, Head of the University's Research Center; Dr. Zeina Ali, a faculty member of the College of Dentistry; Dr. Ali Kalkawi, a faculty member and Research Center Coordination Officer; and Mr. Dhirgham Al-Kawaz, the University's Medical Equipment Procurement Officer.

Mr. Reza Javanshir, Medical Equipment Specialist at the Comprehensive Research Laboratory of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, also accompanied the delegation.

At the conclusion of the visit, both sides emphasized the importance of expanding joint academic cooperation, sharing experience in pharmaceutical technologies, and making mutual use of their educational and equipment-related capacities.