TEHRAN- In the recent years, especially after the re-imposition of U.S. sanctions, Iran has seriously pursued strengthening and developing knowledge-based, research and technology activities in all sectors, with the aim of empowering domestic production and nullifying the sanctions.

One of the sectors with very outstanding performance in this due is the oil industry, as many measures and endeavors in this regard has already led to a high amount of self-reliance in all parts of this sector, including oil, gas, petrochemicals, digging, distributing, etc.

A recent measure in this field was the four memorandums of understanding (MOUs) Iranian Oil Industry Innovation and Technology Park signed last week with the country’s knowledge-based companies to cooperate in a variety of areas.

The MOUs covered cooperation in areas like providing capital for innovative companies and market development, using the infrastructure of Iran's National Tech Market network in creating and developing the oil industry technology market, supporting and empowering businesses to meet the needs of the petrochemical industry, and artificial intelligence, as well as Internet of Things (IoT).

The mentioned MOUs were signed with Iran National Innovation Fund (INIF), Pardis Technology Park, Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (PGSIC), and Parsian Data Processing Group Company, in a ceremony attended by senior officials including Oil Minister Javad Oji, and Vice President for Science and Technology Sourena Sattari, in addition to Science, Research and Technology Minister Mohammad Ali Zolfigol.

Also in mid-November, Oil Ministry had signed an MOU with the Vice-Presidency for Science and Technology to cooperate in establishing new technology parks and development of a network for technological collaboration between the two entities.

The MOU, signed by Oji and Sattari at the place of Oil Ministry, is aimed at developing the oil industry’s innovation and technology bases and expanding the capacity of knowledge-based companies and start-ups active in the oil and gas industry.

Investment and financial support of the start-ups and knowledge-based companies in order to encourage them to meet the technological needs of the oil industry are also among the goals of the mentioned MOU.

Under the framework of the MOU, the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology is also going to define special incentives for supporting knowledge-based and creative companies in various areas including the registration of domestic and international patents, domestic and international trademarks, regulating national and international standards, approvals, and certificates, and insurance of technological products, as well as participating in domestic and international exhibitions.

In Addition, in mid-July, Iran’s Research Institute of Petroleum Industry signed two deals with domestic knowledge-based companies for commercial production of newly indigenized oil equipment.

Many research projects are also underway in the oil sector, and the number is noticeably increasing, for example National Iranian South Oil Company (NISOC) has tripled the number of its research projects in the current year, as compared to the last year.

The oil minister, has recently said that the new plan of the ministry for the development of oil and gas fields will be well-centered, and emphasized: "We believe that more than 700 of these wells can be brought to high efficiency and productivity in less time by using the power of knowledge-based entities."

And Managing Director of National Iranian Oil company (NIOC) Mohsen Khojasteh Mehr has said, “If we want to turn existing resources into wealth, we must use science and technology.”

Although all these efforts and approaches are admirable, the final goal of research and technology in the oil sector is to end selling raw materials (crude oil and natural gas), and producing and exporting final products instead, which has not been still materialized.

As announced last week by Science, Research and Technology Minister Mohammad-Ali Zolfigol, Oil Ministry has contracts worth over 10 trillion rials (about $34.482 million) with the universities of Science Ministry and has entrusted them with more than 40 large national projects.

He said, “Selling raw materials is not appropriate in the national movement program, the country that sells raw materials has not invested properly in science and technology.”

The minister also reiterated boosting value added through science and technology.

Oil minister has also lamented that about 50 percent of export is in the form of raw or semi-raw materials, which is a great weakness for the country, and emphasized the necessity of benefitting from the knowledge-based entities to tackle this weakness.

And Sattari has recently stated that the entry of oil industry into the field of research is a unique event.

Noting that great progress has been made in Assaluyeh (petrochemical hub in the southwest of Iran) in the last 20 years, he said: "Considerable investments are being made in the field of research, but we have not been able to achieve product production as much, and this is a problem and a challenge."

The official again highlighted the entry of oil industry into the research field, and appreciated the endeavors of oil sector under the sanctions condition.