Our university's promotion system, following the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research regulations, underscores our priority to promote interdisciplinary research, especially within science disciplines. As a reflection of our focus on promoting a diversity of scholarly activities, individuals who exhibit proficiency in interdisciplinary research and international collaborations are given particular consideration during the recruitment and career advancement assessment processes. Additionally, we prioritize these candidates for seed money grants and travel support, facilitating their engagement in conferences, workshops, and lab visits to excessive enrich their interdisciplinary collaborative ideas. We also offer Distinguished Young Faculty Award every year to the young generation among the faculty members, in recognition of their outstanding research achievements. This comprehensive approach highlights our dedication to nurturing and recognizing the pivotal role of interdisciplinary research in advancing scientific knowledge and innovation across academic boundaries

the instructions regarding academic promotions in the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Iraq, No. 167 of 2017:

Article 1 – The following conditions must be met for granting the rank of Assistant Professor:

First Condition: The candidate must hold a PhD or an equivalent scientific degree, or must possess the highest academic, technical, or professional qualification in fields where a PhD is not awarded, provided that the duration of study for this qualification is at least three years after obtaining the initial university degree.

Second Condition: The candidate must have held the position of Assistant Lecturer at the Ministry, one of the Iraqi universities, institutions, or the Iraqi Medical Specializations Council for at least three years, during which they must have accumulated a total of 70 points, with at least 46 points from Table (1) and at least 24 points from Table (2) of the attached regulations. Additionally, the candidate must have published at least two valuable scientific papers (or one paper and one book), one of which must be published in a reputable peer-reviewed scientific journal, excluding journals with impact factors.

Article 2 – For promotion to the rank of Associate Professor, the following conditions must be met:

First Condition: The candidate must have held the position of Lecturer at the Ministry, one of the Iraqi universities, institutions, or the Iraqi Medical Specializations Council for at least four years, during which they must have accumulated a total of 80 points, with at least 52 points from Table (1) and at least 28 points from Table (2) of the attached regulations.

Second Condition: During the period specified in Clause (1) of this article, the candidate must have published at least three valuable scientific papers (or two papers and one book), including two papers in two different reputable peer-reviewed scientific journals, excluding journals with impact factors.

Article 3 – For promotion to the rank of Professor, the following conditions must be met:

1. The candidate must have held the position of Associate Professor at the Ministry, one of the Iraqi universities, institutions, or the Iraqi Medical Specializations Council for at least six years, during which they must have accumulated a total of 90 points, with at least 59 points from Table (1) and at least 31 points from Table (2) of the attached regulations.

2. During the period specified in Clause (1) of this article, the candidate must have published at least three original scientific papers (or two papers and one book) that have received positive evaluations, with at least two of them published in two different reputable peer-reviewed scientific journals, excluding journals with impact factors.

Article 4 – Faculty members can apply for academic promotion to the rank of Associate Professor or Professor one year before fulfilling the duration condition specified in Clause (1) of Article (2) and Clause (1) of Article (3) of these instructions.

Article 5 – The following conditions apply to the research and publications submitted for academic promotion:

1. The research must be in the general or specific field of the promotion. For promotion to the rank of Assistant Professor, at least two of the publications must be in the specific field of the promotion, and for promotion to the rank of Professor, all must be in the specific field.

2. The research must be published or accepted for publication, and one of them may be accepted for publication.

3- The research must not have been submitted in a previous academic promotion.

Fourth Condition: The research must not have been extracted from the candidate's diploma, master’s, or doctoral thesis, or those of co-authors.

Fifth Condition: The research must be published in the field related to the journal’s specialty, and it must also be published in other scientific journals.

Sixth Condition: The research must be completed during the duration of the candidate’s current academic rank.

Article 6 – The points for joint academic outputs, as specified in the attached tables, will be calculated as follows: The first author receives all of the points listed for the work. The second author receives 80% of the points earned by the first author for the same research. The third author receives 70% of the points earned by the first author for the same research.

Article 7 – In accordance with the provisions of Articles (2) and (3) of these regulations:

1.Research extracted from a diploma, master's, or doctoral thesis, which was supervised by the candidate, may be considered for academic promotion if it is published or accepted for publication in the names of both the graduate student and the promotion candidate. Only one such research may be counted.

2.A book authored or translated, with an ISBN (International Standard Book Number), may be considered for academic promotion and will be treated as a research paper for promotion purposes, but only once.

3.A patent may be submitted and treated as a research paper for promotion purposes, but only once per promotion.

4.A single paper presented at a scientific conference may be accepted for academic promotion if it is published in full in the conference proceedings or in an approved scientific journal. Abstracts will not be accepted for promotion purposes.

Article 8 – A doctoral thesis or its equivalent is considered as a single original research paper for the faculty member (thesis author) if it has not been used previously to obtain a higher academic title than the current one, in accordance with the law.

Article 9 – The following conditions must be met for an academic journal to be considered valid for the publication of research for academic promotion purposes:

• The journal must be issued by recognized academic institutions, scientific organizations, or specialized entities.
• The journal must follow scientific methodology in the preparation of its papers, and the papers published must be subject to scientific evaluation.
• The journal must be supervised by specialists who hold a doctoral degree or are at least Assistant Professors or Professors, as determined by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
• The journal must have an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) and a deposit number for journals published within Iraq.
• The journal must be issued according to the standards set by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

2. International journals outside Iraq are approved if they meet one of the following conditions:

• They meet the conditions mentioned in paragraphs (A), (B), and (C) of the first section of this article.
• They are issued by a reputable international publisher and listed in one of the global indices and bibliographies.
• They have an Impact Factor or meet criteria set by the competent ministerial committee in the Ministry.

3- Local scientific journals with an Impact Factor (Impact Factor) are treated similarly to those published outside Iraq.

Fourth Condition: Electronic journals (Online) are approved for academic promotion purposes if they meet the conditions set in paragraphs (A), (B), and (C) of the first section of this article.

Fifth Condition: The journal must have an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) for authored books.

Article 10 – The following percentages of the total points earned by the promotion candidate are added, for those who have served the community and have held only one position, if they have spent half of the required minimum period for the promotion as follows:

1. 3% for Assistant Presidents of universities, the Iraqi Board for Medical Specialties, and those in equivalent positions (original or acting).

2. 5% for Deans, their assistants, heads of scientific councils at the Iraqi Board for Medical Specialties, department heads at universities, and members of permanent ministerial committees (original or acting).

3- 10% for heads of academic departments and scientific branches, or department directors in the Ministry and its institutions, and those in equivalent positions.

Article 11 – First: A College Council forms a promotion committee consisting of 5 members, chaired by a faculty member with the rank of Professor and members from faculty members holding the rank of Professor or Assistant Professor if there are no Professors, with expertise in different fields.

2. If the number of departments or branches in the college exceeds 7, the number of promotion committee members increases to 7, including the president, and they are selected according to the conditions set in the first section of this article.

3- If the required specializations or academic ranks are not available among the members of the scientific promotion committee within the same college, faculty members from other colleges within the same university or from other Iraqi universities may be used to form this committee.

Fourth Condition: The committee selects a rapporteur from among its members.

Fifth Condition: The scientific promotion committee will have a secretary who is proficient in one of the modern foreign languages and skilled in using computers and the internet.

Sixth Condition: Membership in the committee lasts for 3 years, which is renewable for one additional term.

Article 12 - 1: A faculty member can submit a written request for scientific promotion to the head of the relevant department or the head of the branch in colleges without departments, from the date they complete the required promotion period. The request must include a copy of each of their research papers or scholarly works, a CD containing the works in PDF format, and a copy of their certified activities from the scientific committee and the department head.

2. The department head or branch head must forward the request along with the research papers or works, and the scientific committee’s statement regarding the citation and specializations, to the promotion committee in the college or institute within 7 days from the date of submission.

Article 13- 1: The scientific promotion committee in the college reviews the faculty member's request. If the request does not meet the required conditions, the department or branch head must be notified within 7 days of referral. If the request meets the conditions, the committee will forward the research papers and works confidentially to three experts in the relevant field of the candidate. These experts must hold a higher rank than the candidate, except when the promotion is to the rank of Lecturer or Assistant Professor. If the relevant field is unavailable in the university, experts from other Iraqi universities will be consulted.

2. The experts must submit their scientific evaluations within 30 days from receiving the research papers or works. If the evaluation is not received within this period, the research papers will be sent to other experts with the same qualifications and within the same period.

3- The scientific promotion committee in the college reviews the request for promotion to the rank of Professor. If the request does not meet the conditions, the department or branch head must be notified within 7 days. If the request meets the conditions, the committee will forward the research papers and works, along with a copy of the faculty member’s scientific and administrative activities certified by the scientific committee and the department head, to the central scientific promotion committee at the university. The university committee will send them to three experts, one of whom must be from outside Iraq, and the other two from within Iraq, and the procedures will continue from there.

Fourth Condition: The college council must forward the recommendation for promotion to the promotion central committee at the university within 15 days from the date of the promotion committee’s recommendation.

Article 14 - 1: The university president forms a central scientific promotion committee composed of faculty members holding the rank of Professor, with no fewer than 7 members and no more than 11, with different specializations. One member must have a specialization in law. The university president can seek assistance from other Iraqi universities to form this committee when the required ranks and specializations are unavailable.

2. The committee membership lasts for 3 years, which can be renewed once.

Article 15: The central scientific promotion committee reviews the promotion case and prepares a summary, including the report from the college's promotion committee and the college council's recommendation, which is then forwarded to the university president for promotions to the rank of Lecturer or Assistant Professor, and to the university council for promotions to the rank of Professor for approval and ratification.

Article 16: A central ministry committee is formed by faculty members with the rank of Professor to review the promotion cases for higher degrees of those included in scientific promotions from both inside and outside the ministry, as well as from the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

Article 17: Promotions are granted starting from the date the promotion request is submitted or from the date its requirements are fulfilled, with no financial implications.

Article 18: If a promotion is refused or delayed, the university president or the university council, depending on their jurisdiction, must notify the dean of the college of the decision with reasons for refusal. The dean must inform the promotion candidate within 7 days of the decision.

Article 19: The promotion candidate has the right to appeal the refusal decision to the central appeals committee at the university for promotions to the rank of Lecturer and Assistant Professor, or to the ministry’s appeals committee for promotion to the rank of Professor, within 30 days from the date of being notified of the refusal decision.

Article 20 – 1 An appeals committee is formed in each university, consisting of 5 faculty members with the rank of Professor, representing various specializations, one of whom must specialize in law. The university council selects the members, and the university president acts as the chairperson.

2. Deans or members of the college’s scientific promotion committee or the central scientific promotion committee may not be members of the appeals committee.

3- If the required specializations or academic ranks are not available within the university, assistance can be sought from other Iraqi universities to form the committee.

Article 21: -1 A ministry-level appeals committee is formed, consisting of 11 distinguished faculty members from Iraqi universities with the rank of Professor and different specializations, one of whom must specialize in law. The minister appoints the committee’s chairperson, and the committee will handle the following:

• The committee will: a) Review appeals for promotions to the rank of Professor, and its decision will be final.
• b) Review appeals from candidates for promotion to the ranks of Lecturer or Assistant Professor regarding the decision made by the ministry committee described in Article 16 of these instructions.

2. The central committee meets at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and will have a secretary. The committee selects a member to act as its rapporteur.

Article 22: -1- The quorum for the appeals committees mentioned in Articles 20 and 21 is achieved with the presence of at least two-thirds of the members, and decisions are made by the majority of those present.

2. The membership duration in these committees is 3 years and is non-renewable.

Article 23: The central appeals committee at the university will review the appeal of a candidate for promotion to the ranks of Lecturer or Assistant Professor regarding the college council's decision. If the appeal contradicts the college council's decision, the promotion case is referred to the university president for a final decision. If the appeal concerns the university president's decision and the committee's decision differs, the promotion case is referred to the university council for a final decision.

Article 24: A promotion candidate is not required to provide a unique research paper for specific scientific fields for the ranks of Lecturer, Assistant Professor, or Professor under the following conditions:

1. The research should be the candidate’s first in the submitted work for scientific promotion.

2. The research must not be extracted from master's theses or doctoral dissertations supervised by the candidate.

3. The research should be published in scientific journals registered in databases like Scopus, Thomson Reuters, Science, or Nature.

Article 25: Research published or accepted for publication in scientific journals registered in databases like Scopus, Thomson Reuters, Science, or Nature is considered original research and is not subject to evaluation.

Article 26: A promotion candidate cannot reuse the same research submitted for promotion to gain points according to Table 2 attached to these instructions.

Article 27: Faculty members working in university-linked research centers and technical education units, eligible for scientific promotion, are treated similarly to faculty members in terms of duration, provided they have taught for at least one year, with no less than six hours per week. They must also submit two additional research papers for each rank, according to the promotion requirements.

Article 28: Faculty members retain their right to apply for scientific promotion if they are appointed or transferred to positions outside the ministry, provided they meet the necessary requirements, without the teaching condition.

Article 29: The percentage of citation in the published or accepted-for-publication research should not exceed 20%.

Article 30: The promotion process will not proceed unless the points stipulated in Articles 1, 2, and 3 of these instructions are fulfilled.

Article 31: Researchers in the humanities may benefit from the points in the preferential points table (1/A) used to calculate academic rank points in scientific specialties, provided they meet the publication conditions specified for journals in the rankings mentioned.

Article 32: Holders of academic titles (Doctorate or equivalent) working in universities and prestigious institutions outside Iraq will retain their academic titles when appointed to universities in Iraq, according to Clause (Fourth) of Article (11) of the University Service Law No. (23) of 2008.

Article 33: The conditions and procedures for academic promotions in the Academy of Fine Arts are governed by the decision of the Revolutionary Command Council (Dissolved) No. (340) of 1981.

Article 34: The provisions of these instructions do not apply to promotion cases processed before their enactment.

Article 35: The promotion provisions in these instructions apply to members of the academic staff in the Iraqi Council for Medical Specializations and the University of Technology. For the purposes of these instructions, the department replaces the faculty, the department council replaces the faculty council, and the department head replaces the dean, while heads of scientific branches replace department heads.

Article 36: The scientific promotion instructions for universities and the Technical Institutes Authority No. (36) of 1992 are hereby repealed.

Article 37: These instructions will be implemented 60 days after their publication in the Official Gazette.