TEHRAN – With the aim of expanding bilateral cooperation in the field of science and technology, Iran and Venezuela will set up a joint committee.

The two sides have signed a memorandum of understanding in this regard to establish the "Iran-Venezuela Joint Innovation and Technology Center" and to prepare a roadmap for cooperation based on equality, mutual respect, and mutual benefit, IRNA reported on Thursday.

Facilitating the exchange of knowledge and technology, carrying out joint research and development projects, expanding the market, and launching joint production lines in Venezuela are among the goals of establishing the joint innovation and technology center of Iran and Venezuela.

Boosting cooperation in technology parks, holding special educational and training programs for talented youth, developing scientific projects, and making investments in technological projects are other objectives of setting up the center.

The two countries are scheduled to cooperate in the fields of information and communications technology, artificial intelligence and mechatronics, medicine, medical and laboratory equipment, biotechnology, nanotechnology, environment, transportation technology, oil and gas industry, investment in knowledge-based companies, nuclear medicine, radiology, and biology.

Recent technological cooperation

Iranian companies, researchers, and experts will provide equipment for the Venezuelan science and technology park.

Amir-Hossein Mirabadi, an official with the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology, has recently paid a visit to the Venezuelan science and technology park, IRNA reported.

During the visit, he met with the head of the Venezuelan science and technology park in order to finalize previous agreements.

“We are ready to equip the park with Iran-made equipment,” he said, announcing readiness to hold training courses for the Venezuelan workforce.

In November 2022, Iranian Science Minister Mohammad Ali Zolfigol in a meeting in Tehran with his Venezuelan counterpart Gabriela Servilia Jimenez announced readiness to establish a science and technology park in Venezuela.

With 49 science and technology parks and 7,500 technological companies and numerous knowledge-based companies, Iran has valuable experiences in the field of science and technology and is ready to help Venezuela in establishing a science and technology park, Zolfigol said.

“We must try and plan to promote the scientific and technological cooperation between Iran and Venezuela to the same level as the political relations,” he added.

Iran is not dependent on the East and the West and can interact and cooperate with different countries of the world by its will, he noted, adding, forming a joint committee can help operationalize the will to increase scientific cooperation between the two countries.

Jimenez also for her part stated that the two countries are serious to increase scientific and technological cooperation, and a road map for the development of cooperation should be drawn.

Venezuela also attaches great importance to science and technology, and soon the first industrial science and technology park will be opened, she added.

“We believe that science should be in the service of philanthropy, pacifism, environmental protection, and the development of humanity, and we believe that Iran also shares common ground,” she also said.

At the end of this meeting, a memorandum of understanding on scientific and technological cooperation between the two countries was signed.

In September 2022, more than 82 knowledge-based firms attended an exhibition in Caracas with the aim of exchanging experiences and holding meetings.

Some 200 companies attended this event and 60 cooperation contracts were signed. We tried to provide a field for interaction and synergy between companies, she said.

On June 11, President Ebrahim Raisi heading a high-ranking delegation will travel to Latin America, planning to visit Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba.

In an interview with IRNA, the Iranian Ambassador to Venezuela Hojjatollah Soltani took stock of the state of relations between Iran and Venezuela. He said, “Our relations are very good and moving forward in all spheres politically, economically, culturally, scientifically, and technically. Currently, our political relations with Venezuela are at the highest level and we have high political commonalities with the government and people of this country.”

“In the economic field, many projects have been formed and good works have been done, and many Iranian companies are working in Venezuela. We have had one of the most successful science and technology fairs in Venezuela, where 85 knowledge-based companies with 145 managers and researchers participated in Venezuela. In the cultural field, we also exchange students between the two countries, so Iran-Venezuela relations are moving well in all fields.”

MG