Government Launches Innovation Centers in Mashhad and Zanjan

To expand startup and knowledge-based ecosystems, the Presidential Office for Science and Technology has launched innovation factories in two Iranian cities. 
Innovation factory projects in Mashhad, the provincial center of Khorasan Razavi, and Zanjan in the namesake province have recently come on stream, the vice presidential office’s website Isti.ir reported.
Called Vita, the innovation factory in the shrine city of Mashhad was launched by Vice President for Science and Technology Sorena Sattari during a videoconference late last week. The center specializes in the restoration of medical equipment and clinical devices.
The project is financed by Sharif University of Technology in Tehran and Astan Quds Razavi, a charitable organization that manages economic enterprises endowed to the holy shrine of Imam Reza (PBUH), the eighth Shia Imam. 
Adjacent to Ferdowsi University in Mashhad, the former soft drinks factory covering a 15,000-square meter area is also to be repurposed into a tech center.
Reportedly, the overhaul of medical devices, such as ventilators, CT scan machines and air purifiers, can help save $420 million.