TEHRAN – Six virtual events have been held since the beginning of this year (March 21) to introduce the technological needs of the country's major industries to knowledge-based companies.

Since last year, 14 big tech events were held, through which 1,600 technological needs of various industries were presented with the presence of 1,150 knowledge-based companies, and memorandums of understanding worth 47 billion rials (nearly $1.1 million at the official rate of 42,000 rials) were signed.

Since the beginning of this year, due to the outbreak of coronavirus, 6 virtual events have been held to provide technological needs for the electricity industry, agriculture, organizing industries and jobs in the city, medical equipment, medicine and health, communication security, and information technology, and social work.

In these events, 191 technological needs were presented and 273 sessions were held, an official with the Iran National Innovation Fund, Siavash Malekifar, said.

The purpose is to use advanced technologies, strengthen self-sufficiency, create sustainable employment and market development, prevent the outflow of foreign exchange, and meet the country’s technological needs, he explained.

He went on to say that after these events, facilities are defined for both the industries and the knowledge-based firms.

Up to 3.7 billion rials (about $89,000) in non-repayable loans are provided for supporting intellectual property, he added.

He mentioned the support of knowledge-based companies to participate in domestic and foreign exhibitions as another facility of the Innovation and Prosperity Fund.

Sourena Sattari, the vice president for science and technology, told the Tehran Times in an exclusive interview that Iran is playing the leading role in the region in the fields of fintech, ICT, stem cell, aerospace, and is unrivaled in artificial intelligence.

Fortunately, last year, companies achieved a record sale of 1.2 quadrillion rials (nearly $28.5 billion at the official rate of 42,000 rials), which is expected to increase by 40 percent this year.

To date, 42 knowledge-based companies with a total value of 2.8 quadrillion rials (nearly $66.6 billion) have been listed on the stock exchange and they will soon turn into the biggest businesses in the county," he said.

Sattari said that U.S. sanctions caused exports of knowledge-based companies to decline three years ago, however, it has returned to growth and is projected to reach the pre-sanctions level of more than $1 billion by the end of the current [Iranian calendar] year (March 20, 2021).

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