Hawzah News Agency - (Tehran - Iran) - The sixth edition of Science and Technology Exchange Program is scheduled to be held in Tehran from Nov. 9-12.

During this round of STEP, participants are to hold forth on science, technology and innovation policy, health, water-energy nexus and communications, the event's website reported.

Over 85 prominent scholars and experts in these fields are expected to participate in the program from 31 Muslim countries.

“The event is aimed at preparing the ground for scientific and technological interactions among the participants,” Saeid Sohrabpour, the secretary of STEP, said.

The meeting seeks to encourage scientific education and research and is set to play a pioneering role in developing regional relations between scientific and technological institutions in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation member countries, he added.

OIC is the third largest intergovernmental organization after the United Nations with 193 member states and the Group of 77 developing countries from across the continents.

Sohrabpour noted that it also aims to improve scientific relations between academics and researchers to facilitate the growth of science in OIC member states.

STEP is to be held on the sidelines of the third round of the Mustafa (PBUH) Prize, slated for Nov. 11.

The prize is granted to works deemed to have improved human life and made tangible and cutting-edge innovations, or have presented new scientific methodology.

Instituted by Iran in 2013, the prize is a science and technology award, granted biennially to top researchers and scientists from OIC member states.