Over 3,600 knowledge-based companies in Iran have managed to start production lines for a wide range of items, the Vice Presidential Office for Science and Technology has announced.
According to the office’s website, these firms have helped bolster domestic production, curb the impact of sanctions and bridge the demand-supply gap in the local market. The office has sorted startups and knowledge-based companies in four categories based on criteria, including the technology involved.
Based on these categories, 2,988 firms are growing into major producers of technological items and 616 firms have produced outstanding prototypes of tech items by seeking financial resources and marketing support.
Knowledge-based companies aim to manufacture low-cost products with advanced technologies in health, pharmaceutical, agriculture, aerospace, automotive and machinery production, chemical and ICT fields. Most of the items used to be imported at exorbitant prices.
Officials believe that these production units help ease economic hardships under the US sanctions regime, as their high potential curb the domestic industries’ dependence on foreign suppliers.
The report further shows that 512 products are in the idea-development stage and 1,361 have officially launched a business, as they are keen to attract investors and start production.
The categorization offers a clear overview of Iran’s knowledge-based ecosystem to fledgling units charting the unknown waters.
As the vice presidential office reported on its website, in the past decade, around 6,000 startups, 5,477 knowledge-based companies and 1,013 innovative firms have been established nationwide.
Parviz Karami, an official with the vice presidential office, earlier told reporters that professionals and elite students form the strong core of startups and their synergy guarantees bright prospects.
“An increasing number of outstanding Iranian students and experts are being absorbed by local tech firms. Currently, they are present in 139 startups,” he added.
Theoretically, a knowledge-based company is focused on knowledge creation, acquisition, learning, sharing, integrating and undertaking production to achieve economic and social targets.
Support from the Iranian government, academia, armed forces and major industrial units has prepared the ground for the emergence and growth of startups and knowledge-based companies, which numbers are increasing day-by-day.
Production Is Pivotal
All the efforts are in line with the motto of the Iranian New Year.
Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has named the new Iranian year, which started on March 20, the year of "Boosting Production" to help shore up Iran's sanctions-hit economy without relying on other countries.
"This year, production is the main and crucial issue because an increase in production will help solve livelihood problems and unemployment, and make the country independent of foreigners and enemies. It can also help resolve the problem of the national currency’s devaluation to a great extent," the Leader was quoted as saying by his website.
The tech ecosystem is expected to curb Iran’s dependency on oil revenues and make the country a tech exporter.
To achieve this goal, the ecosystem needs wide-ranging support and facilities.
Underpinning Facilities
Emerging tech teams need workspace, equipment, technical know-how, commercial and legal consultancy, and the government has been making effort over the past years to facilitate the same.
Numerous tech parks and innovation factories have so far 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 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.
With the extension of infrastructural and financial support, those who are active in the tech ecosystem are bolstering Iran’s domestic production to end the economy’s reliance on oil revenues and imports, and help overcome sanctions.
