TEHRAN – The head of Iran Polymer and Petrochemical Institute (IPPI) said the country’s petrochemical industry could benefit significantly from the achievements and innovation provided by the institute.

Speaking in a press conference on Monday, Mehdi Nekoumanesh noted that the institute has a great potential in creating knowledge-based products which can be used in different areas in petrochemical industry.

“To be able to keep up with the world’s latest innovations and achievements and also to have an optimal output, there should always be coordination and collaboration between the research and industrial bodies of any dynamic industry,” the official said.

Elsewhere in his remarks Nekoumanesh noted that IPPI is currently cooperating with various research institutes and companies from different countries including France, Italy and Germany.

According to the official, on the sidelines of 11th International Exhibition of Plastics, Rubber, Machinery, and Equipment (Iran Plast 2017) in September 2017, IPPI signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with France’s Union des Syndicats des PME du Caoutchouc et de la Plasturgie (UCAPLAST), to produce automotive rubber parts in Iran in an agreement that is set to turn domestic producers into parts suppliers for French carmakers.

The MOU also called for sharing expertise of UCAPLAST member companies with Iranian manufacturers.

IPPI also inked an agreement with German Evonik Industries for cooperation in research areas.

Nekoumanesh further expressed concern over the weak state of cooperation between IPPI and domestic industries saying that, in order to comply with the principles of resilient economy, industries should put more trust in domestic knowledge and technology.

“Iran has a very powerful petrochemical industry and for this industry to thrive even more we have to benefit from our young researchers and the knowledge they are providing; we are creating very advanced and innovative products here and the industry should make good use of such output,” he said.

Iran Polymer and Petrochemical Institute is a research organization which has been established to lead the country’s scientific activities towards the fundamental needs of petrochemical industry.

IPPI is one the most advanced petrochemical and polymer research complexes in the country and region.

EF/MA