6 million in the first quarter of the current fiscal year (March 21-June 21), the deputy foreign minister for political affairs said.
“Currently, we are focusing on Mexico, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Brazil and Uruguay as export destinations and we are establishing houses of innovation and technology in one of these five countries,” Mehdi Safari was also quoted as saying by IRIB News.
“Several problems are preventing Iran from becoming self-sufficient in some fields and must be solved. For instance, we import $1.2 billion of chemical raw materials from China and India, which sometimes do not have the necessary quality and potency, but if we have the formulation of these materials, we could produce them domestically,” he added.
According to the official, the ministry has cooperated with knowledge-based and nanotech companies to facilitate this.
Safari noted that Iranian companies have the technology in this field and only need the formulations to produce these materials, which can prevent a significant amount of currency outflow.
“Our emphasis is on the transfer of soft technology, not the transfer of technology to factories because this causes dependency,” he said.
“Nanotech companies have successfully produced different kinds of cancer medicines which, apart from meeting domestic needs, are also exported,” he said.
The deputy minister stressed that the ministry’s other priority is food, medical and pharmaceutical equipment.
“In this field, Iran is considered a superpower, because Iran exports medical equipment to many countries and can compete with other leading countries. Iran manufactures medical equipment that only five to six other countries can produce,” he said.
While stating that self-sufficiency and earning foreign revenue via exports are important, Safari said officials should not be pressured during a crisis since domestic production might not be able to meet the needs of the country during emergencies.
“Domestic companies are currently producing Covid-19 medicine without any problem. Some of the problems that exist in this field are related to the type of equipment and chemicals used. But in general, knowledge-based companies are in good condition and often export these medicines to Asia, Africa and Belarus,” he said.
“In the fields of health, medicine and food supplement, diversification will calm the market. Currently, we import these products from several countries only by exchanging and exporting products needed by them.”
Iranian Firm Develops First Liquid Nitrogen Storage Unit
A knowledge-based company has designed a liquid nitrogen storage unit for the first time in Iran, which is used to store biological products.
With the production of this storage unit, Iran has joined countries possessing the technology for manufacturing cryogenic tanks.
Liquid nitrogen storage units of different capacities are used for long-term storage of biological products at -196 degrees Celsius in pharmaceutical, health, food, medical and laboratory industries.
All types of stem cells, gametes, embryos, human and animal tissues, as well as organs for transplantation, could be stored in these tanks, the news portal of the Vice-Presidency for Science and Technology reported.
After nearly two years of follow-up, the Royan Stem Cell Technology Company, in cooperation with a knowledge-based company active in the field of cryogenic tanks, built two liquid nitrogen storage units each with a volume of 1,800 liters.
Until recently, only imported liquid nitrogen storage units were used in Iran. Due to US sanctions, their import became difficult and costlier.
The company became operational in 2004 with the aim of providing stem cells for therapeutic and research purposes. So far, the company has been able to store various sources of stem cells, including umbilical cord blood, bone marrow, peripheral blood, umbilical cord tissue, fat tissue and dental pulp.
The body of these tanks is double-walled and its vacuum insulation prevents any temperature exchange with the outside environment. For this reason, the temperature of nitrogen inside the storage unit remains constant and it is possible to store various samples for a long time.
The production of these storage units will help meet the needs of research, treatment and laboratory centers in Iran and prevent any significant currency outflow.
The company had purchased more than 50 such units from various foreign companies over the past years. The price of each foreign model is more than $50,000, but the unit is produced domestically at one-third of the foreign counterpart’s price.
After the required standards are issued for these storage units, they will undergo mass production.
Reducing Risk in Cosmetic Surgeries
Another knowledge-based company has developed a portable scanner used in cosmetic surgeries.
The presence of high quality and standard equipment to reduce risk is of high significance in cosmetic surgeries.
Every year, a large number of foreigners travel to Iran to perform cosmetic surgeries, where the capabilities of the surgeon and the high precision of devices help offer risk-free services.
The 180-360-degree portable scanner for simulating changes in the nose during the surgery and reducing the risk of rhinoplasty has been developed by Pasargad Bonyan Teb Tarah Company.
Also, the manufacture of portable scanners and related equipment for performing eyebrow surgery are among other products of this company.
The knowledge-based company employs 68 people directly and 200 indirectly.
