TEHRAN - There are around 10,000 knowledge-based companies operating in the country, of which some 1,200 companies are working in the healthcare sector, Younes Panahi, the deputy health minister, has said.

He added that some 800 knowledge-based companies working in the field of raw materials and equipment supply the pharmaceutical needs of the country, IRNA reported.

“More than 21,900 faculty members are active in the field of health. Moreover, 804 government research centers, 39 non-government centers, and more than 600 elites are cooperating with the health ministry.”

Exporting technological products

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.

These centers have already been set up in countries such as Russia, Turkey, China, Syria, Kenya, Armenia, Iraq, and Uzbekistan.

By supporting innovative ideas, and holding technological and innovative events, the centers will be a platform for the development and promotion of Iranian knowledge-based companies, startups, and creative industries.

The centers are mainly formed with the investment and support of the private sector to provide the necessary infrastructure for their exports through innovation houses.

In February, 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.

The Vice Presidency for Science and Technology was formed in 2006 with the aim of creating an environment for supporting knowledge-based companies and providing the ground for the development of technological industries.

The country’s progressing process of development has accelerated with the emphasis on the formation of the technology and innovation ecosystem and the approval of laws for supporting knowledge-based companies and boosting Iran-made products.

Today, we are witnessing the positive effects of adopting the approach in the economy, culture, and daily life of people.

The national budget bill for the current Iranian calendar year 1402, which started on March 21, has earmarked about 37 trillion rials ($74 million) for science and technology.

The bill increased the budget by 35 percent compared to the previous year’s budget, ISNA reported.

Improving the scientific level of society, achieving high global rankings in the number of scientific articles, references, and patenting, reducing the illiteracy rate, and increasing the number of university courses and students are only a part of the achievements after the victory of the Islamic Revolution.

According to the latest statistics, more than 8,000 knowledge-based companies are operating in the country.

Exports of medicine

Iran expects to increase the exports of medicine to around $200 million in the current year that started on March 21, from some $60 million last year.

“The increase in drug production is supported by stable supply for exports, and our forecast for exports in the current year is $200 million,” IRNA quoted Heidar Mohammadi, the head of the Food and Drug Administration, as saying.

Currently, the production of medicine, medical equipment, and powdered milk is supported by subsidies. So, their exports were very limited, but it is hoped that their exports will increase next year, he explained.

Referring to the shortage of 100 drug items in the country, he said: “Currently, nearly one and a half percent of the country's pharmaceutical need is imported. Along with domestic production, it is done as soon as the domestic production meets the demand.”

According to Food and Drug Administration, some $60 million worth of medicine was exported in the calendar year 1400 (March 2021-March 2022).

The figure was about $180 million in the year 1397 (March 2018-March 2019). The country imports some $1 billion of drugs per year.

Iranian-made pharmaceuticals are currently exported to Canada, Japan, and Europe, Faramarz Ekhteraei, chairman of the Iranian Pharmaceutical Industries Syndicate said, emphasizing that 72 percent of the country's pharmaceutical raw materials are domestically produced.

MG