To expand startup and knowledge-based ecosystems, the Presidential Office for Science and Technology has launched innovation factories in two Iranian cities.
Innovation factory projects in Mashhad, the provincial center of Khorasan Razavi, and Zanjan in the namesake province have recently come on stream, the vice presidential office’s website Isti.ir reported.
Called Vita, the innovation factory in the shrine city of Mashhad was launched by Vice President for Science and Technology Sorena Sattari during a videoconference late last week. The center specializes in the restoration of medical equipment and clinical devices.
The project is financed by Sharif University of Technology in Tehran and Astan Quds Razavi, a charitable organization that manages economic enterprises endowed to the holy shrine of Imam Reza (PBUH), the eighth Shia Imam.
Adjacent to Ferdowsi University in Mashhad, the former soft drinks factory covering a 15,000-square meter area is also to be repurposed into a tech center.
Reportedly, the overhaul of medical devices, such as ventilators, CT scan machines and air purifiers, can help save $420 million.
Speaking at the inaugural event, the center’s CEO Malekzad said, “The innovation center’s activities will conform to international standards under the direct supervision of National Medical Device Directorate.”
The center has already attracted 40 professionals in the fields of nuclear medicine and biomedical engineering.
Besides the innovation center, another large-scale project is underway in the holy city to repurpose a former soft drinks factory into an innovation factory.
The abandoned factory is adjacent to Ferdowsi University, covering a 12,000-square meter area.
Provincial officials say that the construction of the factory will hopefully be concluded in a month.
Projects in Zanjan and Other Provinces
Zanjan Province is also home to an innovation center specialized in health technology, which was inaugurated by Sattari during his visit to the province last week.
The vice presidential office and Zanjan University of Medical Sciences have collectively invested 320 billion rials ($1.07 million) in the project to help develop innovative ideas and commercialize tech-based plans in a wide range of health fields.
The project managers opt for expanding the center by adding laboratories and workshops to the center, increasing its support to fledgling tech teams.
A similar project will become operational in the next fiscal year (starting March 2021) in the western province of Lorestan.
Lorestan’s General Governor Mousa Khademi told reporters that so far 100 billion rials ($336,000) have been injected into the project.
Efforts are also being made in the southern province of Hormozgan to promote the technology ecosystem and extend support to tech firms and knowledge-based companies.
In a meeting with Hormozgan General Governor Fereydoun Hemmati, Kambiz Mehdizadeh, an official with the vice presidential office, said 80 billion rials ($270,000) have been allocated for the expansion of tech ecosystem in the province.
Mehdizadeh said that of the total amount, 30 billion rials ($100,000) will be spent on the tech tower project underway in Hormozgan tech park.
According to the official, the construction of the tower was launched in 2019 at the Persian Gulf University campus with a budget of 280 billion rials ($941,000). The tower is built as a 10-story building covering a 7,000-square meter area.
Mehdizadeh noted that the remaining 50 billion rials ($168,000) will be spent on the development of the Persian Gulf Biotechnology Park in the province.
Nationwide Efforts
Extending support to new startups and technology firms has been on the government's agenda since 2013 when President Hassan Rouhani started his first tenure.
Over the past few years, numerous tech parks and innovation factories have been established throughout the country to offer shared workspaces and other facilities to tech units.
Currently, there are seven tech parks in Tehran Province, most of which are backed by major Iranian universities, including Tarbiat Modares University, University of Tehran, Sharif University of Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University and Islamic Azad University.
These tech parks carry the name of universities backing them.
Innovation factories in Tehran, such as Azadi and Highway, have also attracted numerous tech teams and startups.
Azadi Innovation Factory was launched in August 2018 at an abandoned chemicals factory near Azadi Square, west of Tehran. The center is backed by the Vice Presidential Office for Science and Technology and is managed by Sharif University of Technology.
Highway, the capital's second innovation factory, is under construction. The factory is being established in an old building near Nobonyad Square on the northeastern flank of Tehran.
Tehran is not alone in its push for establishing innovation factories and tech parks. Numerous centers have also been launched across Iran.
The vice presidential office is developing innovation factories in Iranian metropolises like Isfahan, Shiraz, Mashhad, Tabriz, Arak, Karaj and Yazd to expand the startup and knowledge-based ecosystems.
At the innovation factories, startups and knowledge-based companies find legal, technical and financial support to develop their activities.
With the extension of infrastructural and financial support, those who are active in the tech ecosystem are propelling Iran’s domestic production to end the economy’s oil dependency and help overcome sanctions.
