Royan Institute () is an Iranian clinical research and educational institute dedicated to biomedical, translational and clinical research, stem cell research, and infertility treatment. It is a public non-profitable organization affiliated to Academic Center for Education, Culture, and Research. It was established in 1991 by the late Dr. Saeid Kazemi Ashtiani as a research institute for Reproductive Biomedicine and infertility treatments. In 1998 this institute was approved by the Ministry of Health as Cell-Based Research Center with over 46 scientific members and 186 lab technicians. Iran ranks second in the list of countries where stem cell research is popular. history Stem cell research in Iran began on a high note after the leader Ali Khamenei Emphasized on this type of research in 2002. Unlike the United States, which has discussed using human embryos in stem cell research, Iran has not encountered such obstacles. Iran has been able to make great progress in the 14 years of its research activity in this field. Research institutes Royan consists of three research institutes, each focused on different fields of research: Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology (RI-SCBT) Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine (RI-RB) Royan Institute for Developmental Biotechnology (RI-AB) The institute has had close collaborations with other leading Iranian research centers such as Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics (IBB), NRCGEB, and the Hematology-Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation Research Center at Shariati Hospital in Tehran. Royan publishes the Cell Journal with an impact factor of 3.128 (2022). Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology (RI-SCBT) first, as the "Department of Stem Cells," was established in 2002 to advance research on biology and technology of embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, germ line stem cells, adult stem cells, cancer stem cells, and cord blood stem cells. The institute provides a comprehensive and coordinated "bench to bedside" approach to regenerative medicine, including a greater understanding of the fundamental biology of stem cells, developmental biology, tissue engineering programs, the development of translational research of stem cell therapeutics, and administration of new cell therapies approach that can restore tissue function to patients. The RI-SCBT comprises four departments including the Department of stem cells and developmental biology, the Department of cell engineering, the Department of regenerative medicine, and the Department of brain and cognitive sciences. Iran has some of the most liberal laws on stem cell research