A digital innovation center implementing steel projects will be established at Tehran University’s Science and Technology Park for upgrading ties between the academia and the key industry.
It is part of the trilateral initiative agreed upon by Iran’s Vice Presidential Office for Science and Technology, Mobarakeh Steel Company and University of Tehran in January for developing a knowledge-based economy.
The center’s construction was officially launched during a Saturday event in the presence of officials from state-owned Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization, the Persian economic daily Donya-e-Eqtesad reported.
Iran is the biggest steel producer in the region. As per its comprehensive steel plan, the country is planning to produce up to 55 million tons of crude steel by 2025.
According to Khodadad Gharibpour, chairman of IMIDRO, the center is expected to function as a startup studio for digital evolution in the industry, providing workplaces for tech firms and innovators.
“The center is to mobilize tech firms and startups, localize their knowledge and potential, and create added value in the domestic steel production and mining industry,” he said.
The steel industry plans to use modern technologies developed by the academia, while university graduates find the opportunity to conduct research in the field and expand their experiences
Referring to the fact that the project is aimed at strengthening ties between universities and the industry, the IMIDRO chief said the initiative benefits both sides, as the steel industry uses modern technologies developed by the academia, while university graduates find the opportunity to conduct research in the field and enrich their experiences.
Stressing that the current move will not end with the completion of the center, Gharibpour said similar projects will be designed in different provinces to optimize the potentials of universities.
Hamidreza Azimian, the head of MSC, said thanks to the scientific and technological assistance offered by the academia, the company will become a smart enterprise.
Azimian said international automakers today are working on producing steel sheets with higher resistance and lower weight, as they help reduce fuel consumption, are safer and ecofriendly.
Unfortunately, the Iranian auto industry is globally lagging in this field, he added, emphasizing that with the use of modern technology, the domestic industry can move forward to minimize the gap.
The initiative will not only benefit the stakeholders and beneficiaries, it will also directly increase social welfare and make life more convenient.
Boosting Tech-Industry Ties
The technological sector has been involved with the domestic auto industry way beyond the designing of car body.
In February, Iranian auto parts manufacturer SAPCO signed multiple agreements with domestic knowledge-based companies, as part of efforts for minimizing dependency on foreign suppliers.
SAPCO, which is a major supplier for domestic automotive companies, signed 80 agreements with tech firms in a wide range of fields, including the production of the electronic stability control system, hydraulic wheel and refrigerant gas used in vehicles' cooling systems.
Even in the food industry, deals have been signed by knowledge-based companies, startups and manufacturing units.
According to Vice President for Science and Technology Sorena Sattari, 140 deals worth 2 trillion rials ($11.2 million) and three memorandums of understanding were signed by food production and tech companies last year.
Sattari said at the time that the machinery and production equipment, along with food production know-how, need to be upgraded with the application of smart solutions.
“The food industry and related technological equipment are considered a strategic field that requires modern approaches. Tech firms and startups can be of great help in boosting the efficiency of the sector, particularly in supplying food for livestock, poultry and aquatic animals," he said.
Last year also, a technology center for genetically modified crops was planned jointly by the Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran and the Vice Presidential Office for Science and Technology.
The center is expected to help develop new research projects and widen the range of studies in the growing GM sector. It will house special equipment for advanced technological research on GM crops.
Since President Hassan Rouhani began his first term in office in 2013, the government has extended strong financial and legal support for tech firms, knowledge-based companies and fledgling startups to ease the country's reliance on oil revenues and its march toward a digital economy.
The backing has led to remarkable progress among talented tech teams in various fields.
