Iran’s Vice Presidential Office for Science and Technology is to inaugurate four tech projects in the northeastern province of Golestan this week, the head of the province’s tech park said.
Mehdi Ghaffari added that the projects have been implemented with an investment of 160 billion rials ($577,600) by the vice presidential office, which will create over 700 jobs in the province, Tasnim News agency reported.
The most important project is the first phase of an innovation factory in the provincial center of Gorgan.
Ghaffari noted that the factory’s preliminary phase is spread over 8,000 square meters.
“Upon its completion, the complex will extend up to 500,000 sqm and gather a large number of local tech teams and startups working on a variety of issues.
The second project coming on stream will be another innovation factory in Gonbad-e Kavous county, covering an area of 1,200 square meters.
The project is the result of a multilateral agreement signed in September 2019 between the vice presidential office and the province's Governorate, Golestan Tech Park and Golestan Municipality.
“Located in the east of the provincial capital city, the would-be factory can help decentralize technology growth in the province,” Ghaffari said.
Golestan University of Medical Sciences has also developed an innovation center for health studies in Gorgan, occupying over 1,000 square meters of the university’s premises.
The other project is a 900-sqm innovation house established in the historical Taqavi House of Gorgan’s old texture.
According to the official, the house has been repurposed jointly by the vice presidential office, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts and the private sector.
“The innovation house is aimed at accommodating startups working on tourism and handicraft topics,” Ghaffari said.
Speaking earlier with the local media, Vice President Sorena Sattari had said the transformation of unused urban areas into entrepreneurial centers and tech houses is an efficient strategy that should also be implemented in other Iranian cities.
“Tech houses, which are smaller versions of innovation factories, are the driving force behind local entrepreneurship across the country. Such houses are designed to support entrepreneurs whose businesses are not classified as knowledge-based,” he said.
“Efforts are underway to launch such houses in all provinces, in collaboration with private investors to promote the startup ecosystem nationwide.”
Sattari said many startups are innovation-based but their business does not require high technology and their final product is also simple compared to specialized knowledge-based companies.
These innovative teams and startups don’t receive adequate state support, hence the initiative aims to financially back such startups, he added.
Innovative houses are mandated to provide mentorship, investment and consultation to entrepreneurs for boosting their activities.
Similar Projects in Golestan
A few months ago, a provincial research and innovation fund was launched in the province by the vice presidential office with an initial investment of 50 billion rials ($180,000).
The fund is tasked with offering low-interest lending to boost the implementation of innovative projects.
The funds will be complementary to the several technology centers that came on stream in Golestan in October.
In addition, 10,000 square meters of land in Aq-Qala Industrial Park were allocated to 10 knowledge-based companies for building and expanding their businesses. An additional 6,000 square meters have been earmarked for the development of infrastructure required for the park.
Nationwide Efforts
Extending support to new startups and technology firms has been on the government's agenda since 2013.
Over the past few years, numerous tech parks and innovation factories have been established throughout the country to offer shared workspaces and other facilities to tech units.
Currently, 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 Isfahan, Shiraz, Mashhad, Tabriz, Arak, Karaj and Yazd to expand knowledge-based ecosystems.
At the innovation factories, startups and knowledge-based companies find legal, technical and financial support to develop their activities.
With the extension of infrastructural and financial support, active players in the tech ecosystem are propelling Iran’s domestic production to end the economy’s oil dependency and help overcome sanctions.
