From fusion to seclusion: the increasing isolation of scientists in Iran and Russia

International scientific collaboration is essential to the progress of scientific research in the modern age, with 23% of all science and engineering papers published in 2020 involving researchers from multiple countries. As well as boosting brain power and funding for research projects, transnational collaboration facilitates the building of political, economic and personal relationships that transcend borders.

However, increasing geopolitical tensions have left some scientists excluded from this international community. As politics intrudes on the working relationships between researchers across the globe, academics in Iran and Russia have found themselves isolated from their foreign peers and unable to continue their work.

Iran’s new Internet

Following the violent arrest of Mahsa Amini on September 13 2022 for ‘improperly’ wearing her hijab, and her subsequent death in police custody three days later, protests erupted across Iran. In response, the Iranian government used internet blackouts to stem the unrest and silence protestors.

Now, the government is preparing to seclude its residents from the World Wide Web entirely, by launching a National Information Network (NIN). The new system, which has been in development for over 20 years, will permanently “suppress and control the information space in Iran“. The country has already experienced numerous internet shutdowns this year, disrupting national and international communications.

Given that 31% of Iranian research in 2020 involved international collaboration, it is more reliant than average on outside partnerships. The implementation of a ‘national internet’ will abolish the ability of Iranian scientists to engage with the wider scientific community.

Within Iranian universities, scientists are under threat of being expelled if they are seen as opponents of the government. It has been reported that over 50 academics have been expelled over the last two years, many of whom supported the protests or have been critical of government actions. The Iranian Ministry of Interior claimed the professors were “tainting universities”.

Political repression is not the only problem. Ever since the collapse of the Iran nuclear deal, the sanctions placed on the Iranian economy by the West have suffocated scientific research. Imports of equipment and materials have become unaffordable, clinical trials funded by foreign sponsors have been halted by banking restrictions and American travel restrictions on visitors to Iran discouraged foreign scientists from working there.

In addition, sanctions prompted many scientific journals to bar access to servers in Iran, resulting in Iranian scientists being forced to use pirated research papers, and leading to a government report that plagiarism in the country’s universities has become widespread. The decline of science in Iran is only set to worsen with the introduction of the NIN.

Russian Repression

Iranians aren’t the only people affected by the decisions of their governments. Ever since their country’s invasion of Ukraine, Russian scientists are becoming more and more isolated, facing some of the same logistical issues and sanctions as their Iranian counterparts.

As in Iran, the Russian government is stifling its civil spaces. Criticising the war in Ukraine can carry a fifteen year prison sentence, and even the use of the word “invasion” in regards to the conflict is now illegal in Russia. One of Russia’s most popular science newspapers, Troitsky Variant, was blocked as a “foreign agent” after 8,000 people signed an open letter condemning the invasion.

Cutting Ties

Conversely, supporting the government leaves Russian scientists isolated. In 2022, a statement by the Russian Union of Rectors, representing nearly 700 state-run universities, demonstrated solidarity with the Russian government and praised Putin for making “the most difficult… but necessary decision in his life”, describing the invasion as the “denazification of Ukraine”. In response, both the European University Association and the European Research Council cut ties with participating Russian universities.

The European Commission has terminated research collaborations with all Russian organisations. In addition, The UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the UK’s main research funder, has suspended all funding to projects involving Russia-based scientists and the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities has revoked the Russian Academy of Sciences’ membership.

The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), which was established after WWII with the aim of bringing together the nations of Europe in the “peaceful pursuit of science“, has terminated all international cooperation agreements with the Russian Federation. For a country which has a strong tradition in physics, with its world-leading space and nuclear programs, the loss of the world’s largest particle accelerator was not a small blow.

This western response to the war in Ukraine has also been isolating Russian scientists on a personal level. Many have found themselves blocked from publishing in international journals because of colleagues refusing to review papers which have a Russian collaborator.

According to a British ecologist, while he intends to continue his personal relationships with Russian colleagues, restrictions at his workplaces in Finland and Norway forbid him from communicating with them online. As Russians have withdrew themselves from publishing due to fear of the political climate, the number of conference papers with a Russian author fell by 15,000 between 2021 and 2022.

Looking forward

With no sign of international tensions easing, the future of Iranian and Russian scientists is uncertain. What is clear is that international scientific collaboration is vital for the progression of scientific knowledge, and as a way to build relationships that cross political, religious, and international borders. Hopefully one day the links that have been severed by the current climate can return, and Iranians and Russian scientists can continue to contribute to the progress of global scientific research.