TEHRAN – The 5th Technology Investment Meeting (TIM 2023) will be held in Tehran Pardis Technology Park on February 26-27, with participants from the “D-8”, the group of eight Islamic developing countries.

D-8 includes major Muslim developing countries namely, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey.

TIM 2023 is an international event with the aim of attracting capital to accelerate knowledge-based companies and startups, and also attract investors from D-8 member states.

Some 105 knowledge-based companies, startups, and technology centers from Iran, Turkey, Armenia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Kenya, as well as 52 investors and business delegations from Iran, Turkey, Armenia, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Syria, Afghanistan, Kenya, and Guinea, have announced readiness to participate in TIM 2023.

Also, university professors, investors, growth centers, accelerators, students, and those interested in technology and innovation have applied to attend the event.

Delegations from Mongolia, China, Ukraine, and Canada will also attend the event online.

Information technology and software, medicine and medical equipment, engineering and advanced materials, mining and energy, and creative industries are some of the areas where startups present their ideas.

During the two-day event, 24 top startups are going to present their ideas to international investors. These startups operate in the fields of ITC, materials, health, and creative industries.

The participants are also scheduled to hold specialized panels, one of which is related to the unveiling of the joint technology investment fund.

The fund was introduced at the suggestion of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as Turkey and Malaysia have already agreed to launch such a fund.

Iran is planning to launch the fund based on the priorities of D-8 countries to invest in technological projects in a specialized way.

At this event, a panel titled incentives and investment opportunities of countries will be presented. Turkish Technology Council, Bangladesh Ministry of Science and Technology, and Indonesia's National Research and Innovation Agency are also scheduled to attend.

So far, 11 investment contracts worth $10.6 million have been signed in the fields of medical equipment, mining, transportation, ICT, and energy.

Also, based on the forecasts, Iran plans to sign contracts worth $15 million in technological fields, of which $3.6 million are related to projects in the field of pro-robotics and medical equipment between Iran and Indonesia.

Moreover, plans will be unveiled in the fields of artificial intelligence, engineering services, equipment, and machinery.

This event is a great opportunity for economic actors in various fields of technology to develop their share of international markets by presenting their products, services, and capabilities.

In the last edition of the event (TIM 2022), over 100 foreign investors and 28 domestic investors were present and showcased the products and services of 61 startups and investing companies.

The result of this valuable event was concluding 11 cooperation contracts worth $10 million, which is expected to grow this year significantly.

This event includes various programs, such as the presentation of technology companies with the aim of attracting capital, specialized panels, signing MOUs, concluding joint investment contracts, and visiting the country’s technology and innovation ecosystem.

Over 7,000 knowledge-based and 1,600 creative companies have so far been registered and started operations in the country.

The fields of biotechnology, agriculture, food industries, chemical technologies aircraft maintenance, steel, gas, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, and medicine, oil, electronics and telecommunications, information technology, and computer software are among the sectors in which researchers in technology companies are working.

MG