TEHRAN – Iranian Vice President for Science and Technology, Rouhollah Dehqani Firouzabadi, and Deputy Secretary of China's Communist Party in autonomous Xinjiang Province, Li Yifei, held a meeting in Tehran on Sunday on expanding relations in the field of technology.

Chinese ambassador to Tehran Chang Hua was also present in the meeting, IRNA reported.

Referring to the capacities of China and Iran in technological and economic cooperation, Dehqani said: “In this regard, China hosts an Iranian technology and innovation center, which, in addition to providing knowledge-based and technological products and services, operates as a scientific and technological consultant.”

Fortunately, serious attention to science and technology in recent decades has provided a basis for Iran to use science and technology as a key axis in international interactions, he highlighted.

“Also, in the field of market development, we are ready to expand cooperation in the field of knowledge-based companies.”

The Chinese official, for his part, considered Iran's support and motivation to develop technological interactions valuable and productive.

A visit to Iran's technology and innovation center in China showed that Iran has taken effective steps in the field of technology development, he added.

“Iran has achieved notable achievements in industry, technology, and innovation, especially in the field of health and improving people's lives. This is admirable and shows that Iran has been successful in dealing with problems and limitations by using innovative solutions.”

China, like Iran, has a very good capacity in the field of medicinal plants, he said, adding that Iran has gained success in the field of treatment and medical equipment. “This field will also be one of the axes of bilateral interactions and cooperation.”

In February, President Ebrahim Raisi said science and technology are the cornerstones of national development.

The chain of knowledge, research, innovation, and technology ensures sustainable development in the country, he added.

“Our interaction with all nations and governments in the world should be for the transfer of knowledge and technology, and our interaction with all neighboring countries, in the region and globally, should be based on this criterion,” Raisi highlighted.

Over the past couple of years, the concept of a ‘knowledge-based company’ has changed to a ‘knowledge-based society’, meaning that supporting knowledge-based companies will lead to many social and economic advantages for the public.

The Leader reemphasized the importance of boosting domestic production, as he had done in past years, saying the reason he placed so much emphasis on production was “because it boosts economic growth, it creates employment, it reduces inflation, it increases per capita income and it improves public welfare.”

To this end, the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology has executed and supported several projects toward the goal of boosting knowledge-based production.

Moreover, the development of an innovation ecosystem is on the agenda, according to which 65 houses of innovation have been set up across the country.

According to the Global Innovation Index (GII 2022) report, Iran is the second most innovative country in the Central and South Asian region and the third among low-middle income countries.

Iran ranked 53rd in the world with 7 steps up compared to 2021.

According to the 2022 GII, Switzerland, the United States of America, Sweden, England, and the Netherlands are the most innovative economies in the world, and China is on the verge of entering the world’s 10 most innovative countries.

The top global companies increased their R&D spending by almost 10 percent to more than $900 billion in 2021, more than in 2019 (before the pandemic).

The drivers of this increase were mainly four industries of "Information and Communication Technology Hardware and Electrical Equipment", "Information and Communication Technology Software and Services", "Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology" and "Construction and Industrial Metals".

In the annual ranking of innovation capacity and output of world economies, key changes are observed in the top 15 countries. Vietnam (48th), Iran (53rd), and the Philippines (59th) are middle-income economies with the fastest growth in innovation performance to date.

With 7 ranks of promotion compared to 2021, Iran has been ranked 53rd in the world, second in the Central and South Asian region, and third in low-middle income countries, and for the second consecutive year, the innovation development rate is higher than expected.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is promoting the country’s houses of innovation and technology in overseas markets, deputy minister Mehdi Safari has said.

One of the main duties of ambassadors and economic charge d'affaires in other countries is to support and promote knowledge-based companies, IRNA quoted Safari as saying.

The ministry, in cooperation with the vice presidency for science and technology, is trying to expand houses of innovation and technology with the aim of developing the market for the country's technological products, he explained.

Currently, some 650 knowledge-based companies are listed on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Safari noted.

If Iranian technological and knowledge-based goods are needed by a country, a house of innovation and technology will be set up in that country as soon as possible, he added.

Houses of innovation and technology have already been set up in countries such as Russia, Turkey, China, Syria, Armenia, Kenya, and Iraq.

On June 18, Iran House of Innovation and Technology (iHiT) in the city of Tashkent, Uzbekistan, was inaugurated.

The center aims at introducing knowledge-based, technological, and creative products of Iran to Uzbekistan, and facilitating scientific interactions and cooperation between the two countries, IRNA reported.

Dehqani Firouzabadi and Uzbekistan’s Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation, Ibrokhim Abdurakhmonov, officially inaugurated the center in an online ceremony.

The private sector has invested about $4 million to establish the iHiT Tashkent.

The two sides signed a technological cooperation agreement worth $10 million in the field of energy under the support of the house of innovation and technology.

Exporting technological products of Iranian knowledge-based companies is one of the important and key programs of the vice presidency for science and technology, and in this regard over the past years, with the support of the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology, the Iranian houses of innovation have been set up in several countries to develop the global market for knowledge-based products.

MG