TEHRAN –The Vice Presidency for Science, Technology, and Knowledge-Based Economy, and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop an innovation ecosystem for children and adolescents in the country.

The MOU was signed by Amir-Hossein Mirabadi, an official with the Vice Presidency, and Robin Nandy, the representative of UNICEF in Iran, on Saturday, January 27, IRNA reported.

During the meeting, it was decided to benefit from the participation of all related bodies to achieve tangible results and realize the anticipated goals.

One of the most important axes of cooperation between the parties is the technology exchange and transfer of experiences and innovative solutions among Iran and other countries with the participation of UNICEF.

Highlighting the importance of cooperation with international organizations in the fields of science and technology, Mirabadi went on to stress the need for the efficacy of innovation and its tangible effects on society and people.

Expanding the export of knowledge-based products and developing the impacts of knowledge-based companies’ activities on society and the national economy are among the government's priorities, he added.

The UNICEF official, for his part, expressed hope that the joint program would be fruitful and effective for the target society.

Knowledge-based companies

The total number of knowledge-based companies in the country reached 8,368 companies in the past Iranian calendar year (ended March 20), showing a 90 percent growth year on year.

"Biotechnology, agriculture, and food industries", "high-tech pharmaceuticals and products for diagnosis and treatment", "advanced materials and products based on chemical technologies", "advanced machinery and equipment", "devices, and medical equipment ", "electricity and electronics", telecommunication", "information technology and computer software", are the fields of activity of the country's knowledge-based companies.

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.

MT/MG