Russian Firms Moving Into Iran Tech Market

During a recent visit to Iran, a delegation from Moscow-based Kalibr Technology Park signed a memorandum of understanding with the Fars and the Khuzestan technology parks, according to a report from Moscow.

The three-year agreement calls for several types of cooperation, from synergies between resident companies, to technology transfer, as well as joint events and training programs, East-West Digital News writes.

The Khuzestan research site and Kalibr cover similar fields, noted Babak Mokhtari, pesident of the Khuzestan Science and Technology Park, citing information technologies, laser printers, medical, oil and gas equipment as the main areas of joint research.

Kalibr director, Alexey Rodos, spoke at the Shahid Chamran University in Ahvaz, Khuzestan, presenting the Russian technology, emphasizing the important role of state bodies in the developing and sharing practical experience.

While in Iran, the Russians also visited the Fars Science and Technology Park, the Shiraz Special Economic Zone, a business incubator of Ahvaz and an industrial complex in Anjireh.

 Digitizing

These latest deals follow an agreement between Islamic Azad University with Moscow’s Skolkovo Innovation Center to open a R&D center next year in the Moscow tech hub, exact dates for which have not been announced.

Telecom magnate Yevgeny Roitman reportedly has plans to introduce the Glonass technology in Iran, while ABBYY, a major Moscow-based software company, has suggested digitizing Iran’s National Library and the Islamic Revolution’s archive.

Mail.ru Group, a leading, LSE-listed Russian Internet group, is “engaged in  marketing investigation and research” of the Iranian market.

Also, several Russian businesspeople – including billionaire Vladimir Potanin – are involved in Pomegranate, a Swedish-based Venture Capital firm which actively invests in Iranian digital assets including DigiKala.

Meanwhile, Yandex, another leading Russian Internet company, has declined government recommendation to enter the Iranian market but talks have been ongoing, according to Iranian government officials.