TEHRAN - The Association of Iranian Elites and Knowledge-Based Companies, certified by the Ministry of Interior, is an NGO that was established to facilitate the presence of knowledge-based companies in the country’s economic system.

“The association's financial resources are completely provided by the private sector, and we do not have any government support. This is a winning card for us, because the independence of the association allows us to better serve the government and society," Abuzar Shahpari, the head of the association, said in a press conference in Tehran on Wednesday.

Referring to the activities of the association, Shahpari said: "Organizing knowledge-based companies and gathering elites is one of the most important goals of the association. The output of the activities will ultimately benefit the people. In the past two years, we have tried to provide a basis for synergy among activists from different sectors by holding conferences and specialized meetings."

The area of activities of the association includes assessing the abilities of knowledge-based companies and institutions by providing specific definitions and explaining the necessary conditions in cooperation with competent authorities, and strengthening support structures such as the ranking system.

Also, it creates the necessary platforms for international communications in the economic field through the introduction and development of the domestic knowledge-based product market abroad, as well as the exchange of science and knowledge with reputable scientific centers around the world.

Defining and organizing national projects with the approach of ensuring the country's independence; investigating the country's software and hardware capabilities, and assessing the potential of domestic expert forces; boosting synergy of science and wealth through commercialization of research, innovation, and invention, and monitoring basic needs and identifying the infrastructure on which the country progresses are other objectives of the association.