In the past few years, Iranian officials have taken the role of provincial infrastructural development in the growth of communication technologies and startup ecosystem more seriously.
They believe that the move toward a knowledge-based economy requires nationwide and harmonious efforts.
According to Shahriar Behnia, the head of the Information and Communication Technologies Office in Kermanshah Province, since the beginning of the current Iranian year (March 20), the ICT Ministry has invested over 4 trillion rials ($17.8 million) in developing the communication infrastructures of less developed provinces, IRNA reported.
“The money has been spent on streamlining mobile networks and landline telephone services, equipping schools with smart technologies and developing modern banking services in the province,” he said.
Behnia added that the supported ICT fields will employ around 230 people by the current yearend (March 2020).
He added that besides the development of communications technologies and pertinent infrastructures, the ICT office is ready to establish collaboration with the provincial tech ecosystem to boost the productivity of agricultural, industrial and tourism sectors in the region.
Pointing to the wide application of technology in these sectors, Behnia said, “We are seeking to convert the conventional working processes into modern mode by employing the internet of things and state-of-the-art technologies, boosting productivity and employment.”
Tech News in Alborz
Recently, the Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research has offered multidimensional support to the growth of tech units and startups in Alborz Province.
In a Monday meeting, officials from ACECR and its local branches and Alborz Tech Park discussed ways of pushing the province’s tech ecosystem to the next development level and expressed readiness to offer a variety of support and services to knowledge-based firms.
Mehdi Abbasi, the head of ACECR, said the province is replete with untapped talents in different scientific, educational and industrial fields.
“One of the good news in the provincial efforts to build up a strong tech ecosystem has been the innovation factory project. ACECR will mobilize its maximum capacity to accelerate the project and boost its operation once it is launched,” he said.
The factory is to be constructed in an underdeveloped building over an area of 1.5 hectares in Hesar neighborhood, east of Karaj, the provincial center of Alborz. The 10-year-old building, which is 80% complete, was intended to become a firefighting school. But with a change in plans, project managers abandoned the repurposing plan.
Officials say urban management issues will be specifically targeted by the tech factory.
Mohammad Nabyouni, the head of Alborz Elite Foundation, had earlier said startup teams and knowledge-based firms working on waste management, environment, public health, smart city, culture and agriculture, who are willing to operate at the factory in the near future, are invited to submit their applications with the foundation’s website Alborz.bmn.ir.
The project is the result of a joint agreement signed last summer by contractor companies, Karaj Municipality and the Vice Presidential Office for Science and Technology.
Similar Projects
Following the example of Tehran, major Iranian cities such as Qom and Shiraz are also investing in technology centers, which are expected to boost their startup ecosystems.
In late July, the Vice Presidential Office for Science and Technology, Qom Tech Park and the University of Religions and Denominations signed an agreement to establish an innovation factory in the shrine city of Qom.
The project, located at the university, spans over 1,000 hectares. The complex is set to be run by Qom Tech Park authorities.
According to Akhavan Alavi, the head of the tech park, the innovation factory is aimed at developing a knowledge-based economy, expanding the local innovation ecosystem, increasing the share of knowledge-based products and services, boosting economic productivity and utilizing the domestic scientific and technological potentials.
Alavi noted that the first phase of the project will become operational by the current fiscal yearend (March 2021).
Work is also underway to extend tech facilities in the provincial center of Fars Province, Shiraz.
Reportedly, the second phase of a startup factory established in Iranian Telecommunications Manufacturing Company will come on stream in the near future.
The project is a joint initiative of the vice presidential office, Fars Governorate, ICT Ministry, ITMC, ICT Science and Technology Park and Attar Holding Company.
The factory is a two-story building spread over 7,000 square meters. Its first phase was inaugurated in mid-April, but after Covid-19 spread in the country, the factory remained inactive.
The building currently provides workspace for 850 people.
According to Alireza Samimi, the head of the factory, the capacity will be expanded to 1,500 employees when the second phase comes on stream in the near future.
Extending support to the technology ecosystem in Iran has been high on the agenda of President Hassan Rouhani since he began his first tenure in 2013.
Officials believe support for tech units is the only way to curb the country’s reliance on oil export revenues and materialize a knowledge-based economy.
