Iran’s scientific community faces a silent crisis, manifested through persistent and interwoven barriers that undermine research vitality. This study applies Grounded Theory to dissect the structural, cultural, economic, and personal impediments confronting academia in Iran. Through in-depth interviews with eight PhD candidates experienced in Iran’s higher education system, data were analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding stages to ensure analytic rigor.

The emergent core category, “Challenges of the Iranian scientific community,” encapsulates the complex reality of scientific stagnation. Four interconnected dimensions arise as subcategories: causal conditions (e.g. funding scarcity, bureaucratic inertia), contextual factors (political constraints, institutional norms, and cultural expectations), strategies adopted (e.g. internal adaptation, selective collaboration), and consequences (declining productivity, brain drain, disillusionment). Beyond identifying these patterns, the study emphasizes how systemic and cultural dynamics jointly hinder innovation and international collaboration. It further argues that the sustainability of Iran’s research ecosystem depends on rebuilding trust, transparency, and merit-based evaluation within institutions.

The study proposes a conceptual model clarifying the relationships among these dimensions and offers policy recommendations for institutional reform, international engagement, and capacity building. This work contributes theoretically to understanding the dynamics of scientific decline and practically to designing interventions that may revive Iran’s research environment.