TEHRAN – Iran's achievements in nanotechnology are noteworthy. The increase in scientific publications and sales of nano products proves Iran's rise as a global leader in this field.

One of the industries that have experienced good growth in Iran in recent years is the nanotechnology industry, a subject area that has brought Iran to the impressive fourth place worldwide.

According to StatNano, a leading nanotechnology website, Iran has made great strides in the field of nanotechnology being ranked fourth in terms of nanotechnology publication.

This ranking proves the country’s remarkable scientific development.

The site considers the number of scientific articles for comparing scientific progress in nanoscience, technology, and industry. The top three countries were China, the United States, and India, respectively.

Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter on a near-atomic scale to produce new structures, materials, and devices. The technology promises scientific advancement in many sectors such as medicine, consumer products, energy, materials, and manufacturing. Nanotechnology refers to engineered structures, devices, and systems.

In the past two decades, the world has observed a steady increase in the number of industries producing nano-based products and the number of countries promoting nanotechnology.

There is a continuous increase in the number of patents registered under nanotechnology worldwide. More importantly, the ratio of nanotechnology to nominal GDP has increased significantly, suggesting that the contribution of nanotechnology to World GDP has increased. Nanotechnology has also played a key role in new job creation, Press TV reported.

The nanotechnology sector is a prime example of success in Iran, an arena consisting of expert and program-oriented human resources with significant goals that shine like a jewel in the innovation and technology ecosystem of the country.

With the support of talented academicians and knowledge-based companies, the nanotechnology sector has indigenized many technologies to solve the main challenges of the country in various areas, including industry.

It is noteworthy that before the establishment of the national headquarters for nanotechnology development in 2000, the country ranked 58th in the world and 6th in West Asia, publishing just eight articles.

Policy making and planning for progress in nanotechnology started in 2003 with the formation of a special headquarters for the development of nanotechnology, and accelerated with the approval of the first 10-year document for the development of nanotechnology entitled "Future Strategy Document".

In this document, Iran was targeted to be among the top 15 nanotechnology countries in the world and aimed to generate wealth and improve people’s lives. The general approach of the first ten-year document was the training of human resources and the provision of infrastructure for the development and commercialization of technology.

In order to continue the nanotechnology progress, the upcoming national document has been compiled with new goals and approaches such as being a reference in science and technology, industrialization, maximum impact of nanotechnology in priority industrial areas, and entry of nano products into the global markets and the promotion of people’s lives.

Iran’s ranking in nanotechnology articles citation in 2019  significantly improved compared to 2018, as it moved 26 levels higher, according to StatNano’s statistics collected from the Web of Science (WoS) database.

Based on a Nanotechnology Publications report, Iran ranked 38 worldwide for the average number of times the nano-articles have been cited in the Journal Citation Reports in 2019, while in 2018, it was placed 64.

In 2022, the number of articles indexed in the WoS by Iran was 11,473, equivalent to 4.9 percent of the total WoS-based nanotechnology articles in the world.

The country secured its fourth place among the top 20 countries in this field. According to the report, the number of articles published by Iranian scholars rose from eight in 2000 to 11,473 in 2022.

Some 32 percent of the Iranian articles were jointly written by other countries, mainly China, the United States, Turkey, Iraq, and Canada.

China, with a total of 22,995 published articles, ranked first, followed by India, the United States, Iran, and South Korea, according to the StatNano website.

In 2022, about 8.7 percent of all WoS-indexed articles were related to nanotechnology. Five Islamic countries including Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, and Pakistan were among the 20 leading countries.

In the Iranian calendar year 1398 (March 2019-March 2020), the lowest share (7 percent) of nanotechnology products in the country’s nanotechnology market was recorded.

The exports increased by 53 percent in the Iranian calendar year 1400 (March 2021-March 2022) compared to the preceding year, ISNA reported.

Over the past year (ended March 20), the total sale of Iranian nano products has been equal to 115 trillion rials (nearly $425 million).

The expansion of nanotechnology export programs in recent years and the establishment of bases for exporting nanotechnology products to China, India, Indonesia, Syria, Turkey, and Iraq have provided the opportunity for the entry of Iranian nanotechnology goods, equipment, and services into global markets.

Some 42 percent of the products in this field are related to construction, more than 17 percent to the field of oil, gas, and petrochemicals, 13 percent to the field of automobiles, and over 10 percent to the field of optoelectronics.

For the time being, 358 companies are operating in the field of nanotechnology in the country and 1608 products and equipment have received nanotechnology certificates.

some 20 percent of the 358 nanotechnology companies operating across the country are related to the field of health, and around 200 health products are manufactured using nanotechnology.

Medical nanotechnology and pharmaceutical nanotechnology are currently being taught in over 15 universities in the country to postgraduate students.

According to Press TV, Iran now boasts of nanotechnology-related doctoral courses in 23 universities and master’s degree programs in 66 institutions. This feat is a clear indicator of the country’s dedication to creating a robust foundation for nanotechnology research and development.

By 2033, the advancements of nanotechnology in Iran will improve the quality of life and the production of wealth. The country moves towards global authority in science and nanotechnology by producing innovative products while having a stable place in the market of other countries.

General goals are improving the scientific position and promoting the authority of the country in science and nanotechnology, promotion of innovation based on novel technologies with high economic and social impact, upgrading existing industries by nanotechnology, stable export and promotion of Iranian nano products in regional and global markets, enhancing the effectiveness of nanotechnology in improving the quality of life and social impact.

The field is also best placed to halt the migration of professionals from the country. High efficiency, convenience, and the low price of nanotechnology products can boost demand and create a high level of satisfaction. Nanotechnology is also crucial to sustainable economic development, Press TV reported.

Priority industrial areas in the national document consist of water and environment, energy, agriculture, health, and construction, IRNA reported.

MT/MG