The silk road science fund is a solution for support of joint research activities among Iranian and Chinese researchers. Cognitive sciences and technologies is mainly focused in this project. Over the past few years, Iran and China have taken effective steps toward the development of scientific and technological cooperation between the two countries after five rounds of the call.

Iran national science foundation and Chinese Academy of Sciences are the operating arms of the foundation. In the field of cognitive sciences, the areas that require support have been recognized and the capacity for developing cooperation has been strengthened in the fund. In addition, research teams have been created in specific areas to witness the development of cognitive tools and services.

With the support of the fund, cognitive science researchers can implement joint research projects, hold joint workshops and exchange researchers for a short period. Moreover, two joint educational workshops have been held between Iranian and Chinese researchers in Shahid Beheshti University and Ferdowsi University of Mashhad.

In parallel with the strengthening of cooperation between the various scientific sectors of Iran and China, the exchange of professors and students, as well as research committees between the two countries, is on the agenda, and so far positive measures and activities have been taken.

Holding the workshop of “addiction knowledge: from basic research to translated research” in Shahid Beheshti University is one of the joint activities in this regard. Laying the ground to strengthen joint research on clinical and basic translation between the Chinese Academy of Sciences and our country's scientific and research centers was one of the goals of this joint workshop in the field of addiction knowledge.

In addition, another workshop entitled “perception and visual attention” was held in Mashhad by the joint foundation and in collaboration with Rayan Neuroscience Center of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad and the neuroscience center of Shanghai to promote cognitive science and strengthen joint cooperation. The researchers shared their findings and information on the subject of recording neural activity from the visual cortex, the visual psychophysics, and the oscillating activity of the thalamus to the cortex.

A report by the public relations and information center of the Vice-Presidency for science and technology affairs