TEHRAN - Out of 8,891 knowledge-based companies that are operating in the country, 1,313 are working in the health sector, Younes Panahi, the deputy health minister, has said.

Some 40 percent of the companies active in the health sector are working in the fields of pharmaceuticals, advanced diagnostic kits, and treatment products, IRNA quoted Panahi as saying on Sunday.

"There are 1,313 knowledge-based companies in the field of health, of which 28 percent are in the field of medical equipment and 32 percent are active in the agriculture, technology, and food industries.”

On August 6, Panahi said, “More than 21,900 faculty members are active in the field of health. Moreover, 804 government research centers, 39 non-government centers, and more than 600 elites are cooperating with the health ministry.”

Knowledge-based production a priority

In line with the law enforced on May 24, 2022, knowledge-based production is a priority of the government so the plan for promoting knowledge-based products has progressed well so far.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has emphasized the importance of boosting domestic production, saying the reason he placed so much emphasis on production was “because it boosts economic growth, it creates employment, it reduces inflation, it increases per capita income and it improves public welfare.”

To this end, the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology has executed and supported several projects toward the goal of boosting knowledge-based production.

Exporting technological products of Iranian knowledge-based companies is one of the important and key programs of the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology, and in this regard over the past years, with the support of the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology, the Iranian houses of innovation have been set up in several countries to develop the global market for knowledge-based products.

These centers have already been set up in countries such as Russia, Turkey, China, Syria, Kenya, Armenia, Iraq, and Uzbekistan.

The centers are mainly formed with the investment and support of the private sector to provide the necessary infrastructure for their exports through innovation houses.

By supporting innovative ideas, and holding technological and innovative events, the centers will be a platform for the development and promotion of Iranian knowledge-based companies, startups, and creative industries.

In February, President Ebrahim Raisi said science and technology are the cornerstones of national development.

The chain of knowledge, research, innovation, and technology ensures sustainable development in the country, he added.

MT/MG