Iran has moved swiftly to set up higher education collaborations with leading European universities following the country’s landmark nuclear deal and the lifting of sanctions.

The agreements signed in recent weeks include partnerships between École Polytechnique, one of France’s leading universities, and three leading Iranian institutions: the University of Tehran, the University of Isfahan, and Sharif University of Technology.

Third-year undergraduates studying at the Iranian universities will be eligible to take the entrance exam to access École Polytechnique’s renowned Ingénieur polytechnicien graduate programme, and co-supervised PhDs will be offered. In return, French students will be able to undertake research internships in Iran.

An École Polytechnique spokeswoman described the agreements as “renewing its tradition of cooperation with Iran”.

The same three Iranian universities were due to sign a similar agreement with leading Swiss higher education institutions during a state visit by Swiss president Johann Schneider-Amman,according to the Tehran-based Mehr News Agency.

Iran’s Ministry of Science, Research and Technology has also announced plans for joint research and student exchanges with Sweden and Cyprus.

Future plans include the establishment of joint academic and scientific institutions with France,the ministry said.

This article was written by Chris Havergal for Times Higher Education on March 1,2016