Four innovation centers have been launched in the shrine city of Qom to boost the tech ecosystem.
During a Tuesday trip to the city, Vice President for Science and Technology Sorena Sattari inaugurated the centers, visited local innovative units and surveyed their products, IRNA reported.
The first center coming on stream was a branch of Tehran University’s tech park, with a 1,000-square meter industrial building as a workshop and a shared workspace for startups and knowledge-based firms.
Abbas Zare’i, the head of Tehran University’s tech park, said after 20 years of operation, the park is ready to extend its reach to other provinces and expand its activities.
“The park and its new branch are mandated to disseminate theoretical education to promote practical innovation and tap the students' tech potentials,” he said.
Sattari also launched an innovation complex as an extension to Qom Tech Park, a private tech center called “Mobtada” and an innovation building called “Eshraq” at the Islamic Propagation Office of Qom Theological School.
After the inauguration, Sattari signed an agreement with the office for establishing a creativity and innovation center for Islamic projects. At the center, gifted tech enthusiasts will devise new solutions for the modern presentation of theology and education.
Speaking at the event, the vice president said the tech centers are set to back the fledgling startups and innovative teams from sprouting to commercialization level.
“The innovation centers are set to prepare the ground for turning startups into successful and independent enterprises and help develop the national tech ecosystem by providing tech teams with technical and scientific support,” he added.
Later, Sattari visited small-scale exhibitions of tech products developed by local knowledge-based units at Shokuhieh Industrial Town, Qom University and Tech Park.
The exhibited innovative products were mainly from chemical, medical devices and pharmaceutical sectors.
Recent Projects
Officials are pouring resources into similar tech projects in Iranian provinces, such as Semnan.
According to the local media, a science and technology park will soon be established in the area.
Vice Presidential Office for Science and Technology, Amirkabir University of Technology's Garmsar branch in Semnan and managers of Garmsar Special Economic Zone are working on the project.
In early January, Fatemeh Mansouri, a deputy governor general, said a draft design has been prepared and an area has been designated for the park.
“The project’s required infrastructure will be developed in collaboration with the ICT Ministry,” he said.
Mansouri emphasized that the park would focus on information and communications technologies, therefore identifying and attracting successful startup accelerators should be considered.
“The planned tech park will be able to provide fledgling startups and knowledge-based companies with workspace and laboratory facilities, along with legal and technical support from mentors and law specialists,” she said.
Mansouri noted that startups and tech firms will also be able to forge ties with commercial units and potential sponsors based in GSEZ to accelerate their growth.
“GSEZ and the businesses hosted by it will also be able to use talented teams based in the tech park and apply smart solutions to their businesses,” she added.
Nationwide Efforts
Over the past few years, numerous tech parks and innovation factories have been established throughout the country to offer shared workspace and other facilities to tech units.
There are seven tech parks in Tehran Province, most of which are backed by major Iranian universities, including Tarbiat Modares University, University of Tehran, Sharif University of Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University and Islamic Azad University.
These tech parks carry the name of universities backing them.
Innovation factories in Tehran, such as Azadi and Highway, have also attracted numerous tech teams and startups.
Azadi Innovation Factory was launched in August 2018 at an abandoned chemicals factory near Azadi Square, west of Tehran. The center is backed by the Vice Presidential Office for Science and Technology and is managed by Sharif University of Technology.
Highway, the capital's second innovation factory, is under construction. The factory is being established in an old building near Nobonyad Square on the northeastern flank of Tehran.
Tehran is not alone in its push for establishing innovation factories and tech parks. Numerous centers have also been launched across Iran.
The vice presidential office is developing innovation factories in Iranian metropolises like Zanjan, Isfahan, Tabriz, Karaj and Yazd to expand startup and knowledge-based ecosystems.
At the innovation factories, startups and knowledge-based companies find legal, technical and financial help to develop their activities.
With the extension of infrastructural and financial support, those who are active in the tech ecosystem are propelling Iran’s domestic production sector to end the economy’s oil dependency and help overcome sanctions.
