TEHRAN – Iran's nanotechnology products are generally classified into three groups of goods, services, and equipment, and the service sector has grown by nearly 130 percent over the past year (March 2020-March 2021), Mehr reported on Saturday.

Nanotechnology is called the fourth wave of the industrial revolution and has affected all scientific fields and various industries.

Reports show that the largest share of the Iranian nano market, equivalent to 96 percent, belongs to goods. The service sector has grown by about 130 percent last year, from 443 billion rials (nearly $10.5 million at the official rate of 42,000 rials) to 1 trillion rials (about $24 million).

Iran has been introduced as the 4th leading country in the world in the field of nanotechnology. Sales of nanotechnology laboratory and industrial equipment also increased by 48 percent, despite sanctions and funding limitations. More than 55 percent of the market for nanotechnology goods belongs to the construction sector.

A total of 783 nanoproducts and equipment have been developed in the country and received nanoscale certificates over the first six months of the current [Iranian calendar] year (March 21-September 21), according to the Nanotechnology Initiative Council.

A total of 306 companies have developed these products, 246 of which are active in product development and 60 others in equipment production in the nanotechnology sector.

Ali Asghar Najimi, the director of the industry group of the Nanotechnology Development Council announced on June 25 that currently, 750 approved nano products are sold in the market; by the end of this year (March 2022), about 250 more products will be added to the commercialized nano products.

Pointing out that so far about 80 large industrial companies have used nano products, he added that by 2025, more than 200 large industrial companies will use nanotechnology to improve efficiency and productivity.

Iran among five pioneers of nanotechnology

Iran has been introduced as the 4th leading country in the world in the field of nanotechnology, publishing 11,546 scientific articles in 2020.

The country held a 6 percent share of the world’s total nanotechnology articles, according to StatNano's monthly evaluation accomplished in WoS databases.

Iran ranked 43rd among the 100 most vibrant clusters of science and technology (S&T) worldwide for the third consecutive year, according to the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2020 report.

The country experienced a three-level improvement compared to 2019.

Sourena Sattari, vice president for science and technology, has said 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.

Iranian nanotechnology companies have increased sales by 100 percent over the Iranian calendar year 1398 (March 2019-March 2020), and it is predicted that their revenue will reach up to 80 trillion rials (nearly $1.9 billion at the official rate of 42,000 rials), Sattari announced.

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