Iran to Host 2018 IASP World Conference

The former capital city of Isfahan will host the 35th International Association of Science Parks (IASP) World Conference in 2018.

Deputy Minister of Research and Technology Vahid Ahmadi made the announcement on Wednesday, adding that “given the development in Iran of knowledge-based activities, Iran’s bid for hosting the International Association of Science Parks (IASP) World Conference 2018 has been approved by the IASP board of directors, which is an opportunity for Iran to show its capacities and potentials on the international scene.”

Iran’s Isfahan Science and Technology Town (ISTT) had been running against Karolinska Institutet Science Park, Sweden, for the hosting event.

Ahmadi went on to add that in the past three years, the total value of Iran’s knowledge-based production exports reached $200 million, with $125 million made in the current fiscal.

“Last year, $125 million knowledge-based and technological products were exported to regional countries and to European states,” he said, adding “UAE, China, Kazakhstan and several countries in Eastern Europe are waiting to import Iranian knowledge-based products.”

These companies include computer software and applications as well as industrial machinery, to name a few of the sectors exporting their products and services. 

Iran has been active in the field of science parks and incubators and has had the largest number of IASP members in the region. According to Ahmadi, currently 39 science and technology parks and 180 technology business incubators are active in Iran, with 30,000 people employed in the sector. The large number of science parks has created a large pool of specialists interested to participate in IASP World Conference.

According to President of ISTT Mehdi Keshmiri, Isfahan Science and Technology Town (ISTT) has been a member of IASP for more than l5 years during which it haspromoted IASP not only in Iran, but also in other countries in the region.

“ISTT is proud of the fact that it has been able to assume a leadership position in West Asia and North Africa region and hold the presidency of this division three times since its establishment. In the past 15 years, ISTT has organized regional conferences including joint IASP and ASPA (Asian Science Park Association) meetings,” Keshmiri said in his welcoming message.

Moscow hosted the previous edition of the conference in 2016.