TEHRAN – An exhibition of laboratory equipment and material opened in Tehran on Tuesday to showcase the country’s achievements in the research and technology sector.

The event titled “Iran-made expo” is being held for the fourth year in a row, Mehr reported.

Putting the latest achievements of the country on display, introducing the current technological challenges to researchers in order to find solutions, and establishing links between researchers and industrialists are among the main objectives of the organizers.

More than 9,000 advanced laboratory products are being offered to visitors in the exhibition which will run until Friday.

Currently, some 7,000 knowledge-based companies are active in the country, manufacturing diverse products to meet the needs of the domestic market while saving large amounts of foreign currency.

The fields of aircraft maintenance, steel, pharmaceuticals, and medical equipment, oil, and gas are among the sectors that researchers in technology companies have engaged in, leading to import reduction.

Vice-President for Science and Technology, Sourena Sattari has said 42 knowledge-based companies with a total value of 2.8 quadrillion rials (nearly $9.5 billion) have so far been listed on the stock exchange and they will soon turn into the biggest businesses in the county.

The Vice Presidency for Science and Technology will provide special support to facilitate export for knowledge-based companies with quality products over the next 6 months.

Due to the necessity of Iran's presence in the global technology markets and the high capability of knowledge-based and creative companies, the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology stepped into the field to pave the way for the presence in the global market, Mehdi Ghaleh-Noei, an official with the Vice Presidency, has said.

To this end, it has developed and implemented programs, policies, and support packages related to the development of export, he stated, noting, planning to attract foreign investment, eliciting the participation of

Iranians abroad, and connecting domestic capabilities to the global market are among the actions taken in this regard.

MG