The Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (IASBS) has been recognised as the first ‘Water-Friendly University’ in Iran during a ceremony attended by the IASBS President, Prof Sadollah Nasiri Gheydari, and the Director General of Public Relations at the National Water and Wastewater Engineering Company, Mr Mehdi Bakhti.

The joint meeting entitled “Enhancing Water Literacy with a Focus on Water Challenges in Iran and the World”, along with the ceremony recognising the country’s first Water-Friendly University, was held on the morning of Wednesday, 7 January 2026, with the participation of national and provincial water-sector officials, executive managers, university faculty members, and researchers at the conference hall of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (IASBS).

During the ceremony, the President of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (IASBS), Prof Sadollah Nasiri Gheydari, referenced the Institute’s pioneering measures in water consumption management saying that water resource management at the Institute had begun many years ago. He noted that even before the Ministry of Science issued its guidelines, modern irrigation systems had been implemented across the Institute’s green spaces and low water-consumption plant species had been introduced, adding that these measures could serve as a model for other universities across the country.

Emphasising the institutionalisation of a culture of conservation at the Institute, the IASBS President, Prof Sadollah Nasiri Gheydari, added that the protection of water resources had not been limited to infrastructure measures alone, but had become part of the Institute’s identity among faculty members, staff, and students. He further noted that messages related to water consumption management are also highlighted during scientific and research events.

Referring to the establishment of the Water and Environment Innovation Centre, the IASBS President stated that the Centre operated with the aim of providing specialised training for provincial executive bodies, developing skilled human resources, offering innovative solutions for water resource management, and addressing climate change, and that it could play a significant role in strengthening scientific and environmental governance in the province.

Continuing the meeting, the Director General of Public Relations of the National Water and Wastewater Engineering Company, Mr Mehdi Bakhti, mentioned the country’s water scarcity crisis and Iran’s climatic conditions, stating that public participation in water management was the key to saving the nation’s water resources, adding that no programme would achieve its desired outcome unless people stood alongside policymakers and managers.

Referring to the challenges facing the southern belt of the Alborz mountain range, including the provinces of Zanjan, Qazvin, Alborz, Tehran, and Semnan, the Director General of Public Relations of the National Water and Wastewater Engineering Company described the role of universities in cultural development, evidence-based decision-making, and shaping a national water discourse as highly effective, and said that the Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (IASBS) was a successful example in this context.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, in view of the Institute’s innovative actions, scientific management of water resources, implementation of modern irrigation systems, and extensive educational and cultural activities, the Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (IASBS) was officially recognised as the country’s first Water-Friendly University.