Two universities in the southern provinces of Kerman and Fars have established tech centers, which will enhance academic efforts to strengthen the country’s technology ecosystem.
The first project is a startup growth center established by Kerman’s Islamic Azad University and Science and Technology Park, ISNA reported.
Mohammad Reza Sepahvand, the park's director, and Alireza Tavakkoli, the university's chancellor, signed an agreement on Sunday to help develop the center's infrastructure and commercialize innovative ideas developed by the growth center's tech companies.
According to the officials, the center will provide technical support (from university graduates and tech park mentors) and financial support (from university resources and private investors) to eager startups, in addition to taking steps for expanding the local technology ecosystem.
The second project is the first phase of an innovation center established by Salman Farsi University in Kazeroun, Fars Province.
The center was launched with the allocation of 6 billion rials ($21,800) from the Vice Presidential Office for Science and Technology, the government agency in charge of implementing startup support policies.
Gharib Fazelnia, the university's chancellor, stated that the innovation center specializes in energy sector and invites related knowledge-based firms and startups.
The center's proximity to major energy industries provides an opportunity for its knowledge-based teams to establish ties and explore future prospects, he added.
Fazelnia noted that the vast unused land surrounding the center will help facilitate the implementation of practical energy-related experiments and projects.
“Through the innovation center, the university will tap the potential of university alumni to overcome unemployment, which is one of the longstanding challenges facing Fars' young talented labor force,” he added.
More University-Based Efforts
As the outstanding achievements of technology ecosystem has lured different sectors to make investments in the field, universities nationwide have stepped in to extend support to tech teams.
In February, Vice President for Science and Technology Sorena Sattari inaugurated three tech centers at the Tehran-based Amirkabir University of Technology.
Focused on energy and physics, space science and civil engineering, these tech centers will commercialize students’ ideas by offering legal, technical and market consultancy.
With the addition of three new centers, the university is now hosting eight innovative teams.
Hossein Hosseini, the university’s deputy for research and technology, said the tech centers are aimed at promoting entrepreneurship and technological innovation among students and faculty members.
Besides forming innovation centers and attracting tech teams, universities can utilize their scientific edge to help startups.
Such efforts are a synergetic move to advance the tech ecosystems of Tehran and other Iranian cities.
In late January, Sharif University of Technology in Tehran and Astan Quds Razavi, an economic conglomerate in Khorasan Razavi Province, launched an innovation factory adjacent to Ferdowsi University in Mashhad.
The center is specialized in the renovation of medical equipment and clinical devices, which will help save $420 million annually.
In addition, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, located in the namesake province, has joined hands with the vice presidential office to invest 320 billion rials ($1.16 million) in an innovation center to develop unique ideas and commercialize tech-based plans in a wide range of health fields.
Golestan University of Medical Sciences also hosts an innovation center working on health technology, which offers virtual visits for clinical diagnosis and post-treatment support and consultancy.
The center is also providing technical, scientific and commercial assistance to innovative teams and aiding efforts to commercialize their ideas.
Nationwide Measures
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 receive legal, technical and financial assistance 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.
