Government aims to position Iran as regional tech hub: Deputy president
Iran’s deputy president for science and technology said on Tuesday that the government, by redefining its role as a facilitator rather than a controller, seeks to eliminate barriers and build the necessary infrastructure to position Iran as a leading hub for advanced technologies in West Asia.
Addressing the 27th Pardis Technology Park Summit, Hossein Afshin highlighted the role of innovation ecosystems in transforming knowledge into wealth, stressing the need to empower startups and leverage innovation diplomacy to attract investment and boost the export of knowledge-based products, ILNA reported.
He described the transformation of Pardis Technology Park into an international innovation zone as a milestone in the development of the country’s innovation ecosystem.
Afshin said the new zone was once only a technology park but had become Iran’s international innovation hub through the continuous efforts of scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs.
“This transformation is not just a change of nameplate but the result of day-and-night work by those who rose from failures and built an innovative climate,” he said.
The official said the zone has become a place where “knowledge turns into products, ideas into industries, and motivation into wealth and capital,” with companies in the ecosystem serving as symbols of self-reliance at both national and international levels.
Afshin added that smart innovation diplomacy is part of the government’s plan, ranging from building bridges with regional countries and attracting foreign investment to exporting knowledge-based products.
He said the ultimate goal is to turn Iran into a hub for advanced technologies in West Asia, focusing on fields such as artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, biotechnology, clean energy and modern financial technologies.