TEHRAN – An abandoned factory in Yazd is to be turned into an innovation factory in the near future, ISNA reported on Tuesday.

The vice president for science and technology Sourena Sattari paid a visit to the abandoned factory on Tuesday, which is planned to be turned into a place for startups, innovative production line and innovative services.

Innovation factory is a platform that efficiently connects people, knowledge and ideas and at the same time encourages collaboration and innovation. Organizational issues are presented as ‘idea challenges’. Inspiring and motivational assignments like these encourage people to share and elaborate ideas. It allows you to utilize collective knowledge and it increases employee engagement.

In late April, the head of the Strategic Technologies Center Esmaeil Qaderifar said that innovation factories will be established in five cities of Mashhad, Tabriz, Isfahan, Shiraz and Yazd in the near future.

In Mashhad, an old abandoned factory is being turned into an innovation factory. The place is now under construction and will probably open during the Iranian calendar month Shahrivar (August 23-September 22), he explained.

The establishment of innovation factories in Iranian metropolitans diversify the national innovation ecosystem. The innovation factories focus on the regional and local priorities and based their activities on them.

The vice presidency for science and technology supports the innovation factories, however they are completely private and will be run by private accelerators.

The municipality, governorship and the Ministry of Transport and Urban Development are responsible for establishment of the innovation factories.

In late February, the vice president for science and technology Sourena Sattari announced the first innovation factory of the country will start running in Tehran in the Iranian calendar month Ordibehesht (April 21-May 21).

Over 3,500 young entrepreneurs with over 10 accelerator centers in different fields will begin their activity in the innovation factory, he said.

SB/MQ/MG