The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research announces that Iraq has officially joined the Synchrotron Council for Experimental Sciences and Applications in the Middle East (SESAME), which is specialized in advanced and distinguished scientific research.

A majority vote took place on Tuesday, corresponding to 7/11/2023, on Iraq joining the (SESAME) Center during the council meeting at the University (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) in Spain.

The Chairman of the Council, Professor Rolf Hoyer, and the former head of the European Organization for Nuclear Research, confirmed the acceptance of Iraq’s membership as an associate member, which will provide the appropriate field to support solid scientific research and enable Iraqi researchers to accomplish advanced scientific research and contribute to publishing in international journals with a high impact factor that has a direct impact on the academic reputation of universities and their classification globally.

It is worth noting that SESAME is the first international center of excellence in scientific research in the Middle East, similar to the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Europe, and it represents an intergovernmental organization among member states under the auspices of UNESCO and hosted by Jordan. Middle East and neighboring countries in the fields of medicine, biology, science, physics, chemistry, health care, environment and archeology. It contributes to building and bridging scientific cooperation between the countries of the region and the world.