TEHRAN -- There are about 4,000 startups operating in Iran which provide IT-based services to the public, the head of innovation department of science and technology vice presidency told Mehr news agency on Tuesday.

Hessam Zand-Hessami said that the startups continue their activities based on their innovative ideas in the market.

The vice presidency does not assess their innovation factors through their activity but the innovation is the most important factor to consider a company as a knowledge-based one by the vice presidency, he explained. 

He said that the knowledge-based company should have technological complexity as well.

Their innovative factors is checked each three years by the vice presidency, he said.

Iran has provided 120 trillion rials (some $2.8 billion) for around 1400 knowledge-based companies during the past five years, the deputy vice president for science and technology Alireza Daliri said during a press conference in early June.

SB/MQ/MG