Quantum information is a hot subject around the world, and many Iranian scientists and students are active or interested in the field; however, their mobility is constrained by financial and political considerations such as difficulties in obtaining visas. With those concerns in mind, Vahid Karimipour of Sharif University of Technology and I decided to plan a major international conference in Iran, capped at 100 participants, with a significant fraction of them coming from other countries. The first International Iran Conference on Quantum Information (IICQI) was held 7–10 September 2007.
A successful international conference requires a local base of respected experts in the field, an effective local organizing committee, excellent conference facilities, financial support, and a critical mass of students and faculty in the region who would attend. Those basic requirements were met by having an enthusiastic, energetic team of organizers, but a conference in Iran posed unique challenges—preconceptions and politics—that...
