TEHRAN - Head of Iran Small Industries and Industrial Parks Organization (ISIPO) has announced the decision for establishing 40 science and technology parks across the country over the next five years, ISNA reported.

Ali Rasoulian said the locations for the mentioned parks have been determined in various provinces and the necessary coordination has been done with related government entities in the target cities.

The official also mentioned a plan for establishing new knowledge-based workshop units in technology parks across the country, saying: “The government has also obliged ISIPO to establish 1,000 knowledge-based workshops in the country’s industrial parks and since the beginning of the current [Iranian calendar] year (March 21), about 400 workshops have been established and are ready for operation and about 1,500 workshops are also under construction.”

According to Rasoulian, ISIPO is also implementing a program to identify the technological needs of the country’s major industries to introduce them to knowledge-based companies and startups for collaboration.

“We have managed to get in touch with 1,600 companies and identify their needs, for which so far 400 items or equipment have been made by knowledge-based units,” the ISIPO head explained.

Back in July, Rasoulian said his organization was planning to establish 261 knowledge-based workshop units in seven different technology parks across the country.

He noted that over 5.925 trillion rials (about $20.96 million) was going to be invested in the mentioned units which were going to be constructed under the framework of a program carried out in collaboration with the Vice-Presidency for Science and Technology.

Rasoulian said there are currently 600 knowledge-based production units active in the country’s industrial parks and zones, adding that ISIPO will provide applicants for establishing such units with special facilities including land and infrastructure.

The ISIPO head had said earlier that 1,433 small workshop units were established in the previous Iranian calendar year (ended on March 20) most of which were production and knowledge-based units with high technology.

In line with the current Iranian year’s motto, which is “Knowledge-Based and Job-Creating Production”, the Ministry of Industry, Mining and Trade has been implementing new programs to support knowledge-based production units across the country.

Providing infrastructure and incentives to small businesses and enterprises are among the major programs that the ministry has been following in relation to industrial parks.

According to Rasoulian, over 2,023 projects related to providing infrastructure for industrial parks, including water, electricity, and gas supply, with 60 trillion rials (about $215.8 million) of credit is underway in different parts of the country.

EF/MA