Iran’s House of Innovation and Technology Exports was launched on Tuesday in Damascus, Syria, to boost scientific and economic relations.
The opening ceremony was attended by Iran’s Vice President for Science and Technology Sorena Sattari and his companions, as well as Syrian Minister of Higher Education Bassam Ibrahim, the office’s website reported.
The center has been established in Damascus Free Zone over 620 square meters with the aim of facilitating the export of Iranian high-tech products and innovative services to Syria.
The project has been jointly funded by the vice presidential office and private investors.
At the center, knowledge-based companies can promote and commercialize their products in the Arab county, in cooperation with officials working with the Iranian government.
Shared spaces and a permanent exhibition of knowledge-based products are among the services offered to knowledge-based firms in this center.
These firms can use the space to expand interactions with Syrian firms, and find customers and production partners for their products.
Market research, advertisement, sales and product registration are among other services offered in the tech center.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Sattari said the high-tech achievements of Iranian knowledge-based companies will be shared with Syria.
“Syrian university students and medical staff should become acquainted with Iranian technical products. Iran is ready to cooperate with Syria to support its technological growth,” he added.
Syria’s Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Bassam Ibrahim affirmed that the center will help strengthen scientific and research relations.
“The Tech House will provide Syrian universities and educational hospitals with sophisticated equipment, boost the development of educational process and improve public medical services,” he said.
Ibrahim touched upon the great potential for bilateral cooperation, saying Iran and Syria should cooperate in scientific and technological areas.
He added that the center would be a mediator between the knowledge-based companies of the two sides.
After the inaugural event, officials surveyed the high-tech products of 40 knowledge-based and innovative companies in the fields of electricit, electronics, medicine, advanced materials, ICT, biotechnology, agriculture and other fields of technology, which were displayed at the center.
Deal to Expand Sci-Tech Collaborations
On the sidelines of the opening ceremony, Sattari signed a memorandum of understanding with Syrian authorities to facilitate scientific and technological collaborations.
As per the deal, Iran committed to invest $10 million for launching a laboratory in Damascus. The two sides also agreed to establish specialized labs in the fields of biotechnology, nanotechnology, ICT, physics, mathematics and chemistry in Syria.
Representatives of Iranian knowledge-based and innovative companies took part in business-to-business meetings with Syrian tech firms to get familiar with the business climate in Syria and introduce to each other their achievements and capabilities in order to secure a market for their exports.
These meetings were held in cooperation with Iran’s vice presidential office and its affiliate Iran National Innovation Fund.
Similar Projects
Iran had earlier opened similar centers in China, Kenya, Armenia and Turkey, and plans to expand technology collaborations with other countries.
In late January, Iran’s House of Innovation and Tech (HIT for short) was launched in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, to provide a platform for exchanging tech ideas and facilitating trade.
Established in Iran’s former embassy building, HIT is mandated to extend Iran’s market for tech products to East Africa.
Offering workspaces and internet connection for Kenyan and Iranian companies, it will be a permanent tech fair for innovative items developed by Iranian knowledge-based companies.
Several Iranian tech professionals are set to offer mentorship and consultation to Kenyan tech enthusiasts, which will help establish a technology ecosystem.
Regional Efforts
In the past several years, Iran has been strengthening tech relations with neighboring and regional countries, especially Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia.
In October 2020, Russia called for establishing stronger ties with Iran in ICT and space technology fields.
In addition, Russia hosted several Iranian commercial and tech delegations in the past year, including the 15th International Aviation and Space Salon (also known as MAKS Air Show) in the city of Zhukovsky in late August 2019 and the INNOPROM International Industrial Trade Fair in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in July 2019.
Underlining the promising results of the visits, Sattari earlier told reporters that Russian tech firms have shown readiness to forge ties with Iranian knowledge-based companies, especially in the fields of nanotechnology, biotechnology, space, aviation, cognitive sciences and new energies.
“As a result, an Iranian knowledge-based company signed a €2 million deal with a Russian company on the sidelines of the MAKS Air Show. Iranian tech firms also won accolades at Azerbaijan's high-tech exhibition called Bakutel 2019,” he said.
According to ICT Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, Iran’s strong presence in the event can increase the prospects of Iranian startups finding customers in the host country, which is a potential market for innovative products and services.
In addition, Iran and Armenia are working on the joint establishment of technology parks and the development of communication infrastructure.
Although progressing slowly, Iran's investments in promoting the national tech ecosystem and introducing the country's potentials to the regional market have been successful.
Lending extended support to the development of startups and knowledge-based companies has been high on the government's agenda since President Hassan Rouhani took office during his first term in 2013.
