Center for Innovation and Technology Cooperation (CITC)

Islamic Republic of Iran

Presidency

Irans S&T Status in General

Biotechnology in Iran

Nanotechnology in Iran

Advanced Materials and Composite Industry in Iran

Information and Communication Technology in Iran

Renewable Energies in Iran

2

Iran is an example of a country that has made

considerable advances through education and

training, in almost all aspects of research during

the past 30 years. Iran's university population

swelled from 100,000 in 1979 to more than 3.7

million in 2011. Iran's science progress is the

fastest in world. Iran has made great strides in

different sectors, including nanotechnology,

biotechnology, aerospace, nuclear science,

medical development, as well as stem cell and

cloning research.

A 2010 report by Canadian research firm

Science-Metrix has put Iran in the top rank

globally in terms of growth in scientific

productivity with a 14.4 growth index followed

by South Korea with a 9.8 growth index. Iran's

growth rate in science and technology is

11 times more than the average growth of the

world's output in 2009 and in terms of total

output per year, Iran has already surpassed the

total scientific output of countries like Sweden,

Switzerland, Israel, Belgium, Denmark, Finland,

Austria or that of Norway. By early 2000, Iran

allocated around 0.4% of its GDP to R&D,

which ranks it "far behind industrialized

societies" and the world average of 1.4%. By

2009 this ratio of research to GDP reached

0.87% and the set target is 2.5%

1-2 S&T Figures of Iran (2009)

Number of Research Centers: 500

Number of Governmental Universities: 140

Number of Incubators:90

Number of Science and Technology Parks: 25

Number of University Students: about 335000

Number of Academic Staffs: about 104000

Number of Graduated MSc and MA Students:

about 184000

Number of PhD Students: about 10300

Irans S&T Status in General

3

S&T Publications

Iran's Rank in the world in science & engineering (S&E) articles in all fields is 27th, its average

annual change (%) being 25.7%. Irans growth rate was the fastest of all nations.

Figure 2: The number of ISI Articles of Islamic Republic of Iran from 1970 to 2009

The number of international scientific papers that have been printed in ISI journals, has had a rapid

increase in recent years, which proves effective research at the boundaries of different scientific

fields in I.R. Iran.

4

Present Biotechnology Status in Iran

Iran has entered the modern biotechnology era

in the early 1990s and within a short period of

time it has become able to build up significant

capabilities. At present there are a total of 160

public research and academic institutes, and 238

private centers and companies, involved in

biotechnology research and production in Iran.

Now Iran's Biotechnology Position is:

Articles publications in world rankings: 24th

General ranking in Asia: Among top 5 Countries

Production rate in Middle East: 1st

Vaccines production rate in Middle East: 1st

Producing 9 of the 20 most expensive

biotechnology drugs

Biotechnology Centers

The most important Biotechnology centers in

Iran are:

1) Biotechnology Council

2) Center for Innovation & Technology

Cooperation (CITC)

3) National Committee for Policy making in

Medical Biotechnology

4) Agricultural Biotechnology Research

Institute of Iran (ABRII)

5) Biotechnology Department of Pasteur

Institute of Iran

Biotechnology in Iran

The last two decades have witnessed remarkable

advances in the field of biotechnology,

highlighted by breakthroughs in Genetic

engineering and related techniques. Hopes were

rising that these advances may solve many

problems facing human communities. New

applications such as molecular farming, the use

of plants as bioreactors, recombinant

therapeutics and diagnostics abound. Blood

substitutes and antibiotics are among an

increasing number of target products derived

from plant-based biotechnology. Creating better

tools to fight pollution and to improve

protection of environment can also strengthen

the role of modern biotechnology in the

development of the third world countries,

diversifying production, increasing income

sources, creating more job opportunities and

sustainable development. Iran initiated research

in biological sciences as early as seventy years

ago in Razi and Pasteur institutes. These insti-

tutes had been established to produce human

and animal vaccines.

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6) Iranian Research Organization for Science &

Technology (IROST)

7) National Research Center for Genetic

Engineering and Biotechnology (NRCGEB)

Razi Vaccine & Serum Research Institute

Biotechnology Research and

Development Priorities

As a part of national biotechnology program,

biotechnology commission has determined the

priorities for Research and Development in Iran.

The methodology for priorities was chosen

according to UNESCO criteria that Agricultural

Biotechnology and Medical Biotechnology were

introduced as Biotechnology research and

development priorities in Iran.

Trends of Biotechnology in Iran are Health in

the fields of Biopharmaceutical, Diagnosis, Cell

Therapy, and Regenerative Medicine; Agricul-

ture in the fields of Biofertilizer, Biopesticide,

and Tissue Culture; and Environment in the

field of Waste treatment.

ANGIPARSTM

Completely safe in therapeutic doses

Significantly effective in treatment of diabetic

foot ulcer

Therapeutic effects are remarkable as early as

the second week of the therapy

Therapeutic effects are durable (even after

finishing the treatment course)

Therapy is cost effective

Preventing amputation in many patients with

diabetic foot ulcer

Some Achievements in the field

of Medical Biotechnology

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CinnoVex TM

CinnoVex is the trade name of recombinant

Interferon beta 1-a

CinnoVex is used in the treatment of relapsing

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) to slow the develop-

ment of physical disability.

Iran is the third country which produces

CinnoVex.

1 gr. of CinnoVex ~ 2.5 million $

Delaying of progression to Disability

Milestones significantly reduce risk of

progression to impaired ambulation Delaying

significantly the onset of persistent

deterioration in manual dexterity and timed

ambulation.

Slowing of the rate of progression of brain.

Reduction of the number of enhancing lesions.

IMODTM

A medicine to Management of HIV/AIDS:

Stimulating the immune system consequently

white blood cells increasing and inducing

resistance against disease

Prevents HIV patients from entering the AIDS

stage

Helping patients with AIDS to recover and

experience a normal life

Relatively low cost as compared to available

commercial drugs

No side effects

Highly effective

Durable effects (even after finishing the course

of treatment)

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Production of Medical Equipments

such as:

Auto Acoustic Emission for Infants'

Hearing Screening

Advantages and applications:

No need for the patient's cooperation and

applicable for infants

Low price comparing with the foreign version

products

Peripheral product within the natural hearing

process

Recordable through the exterior ear canal

To record the nanometric oscillation by

installing a hypersensitive probe inside the

exterior canal of the ear

To utilize the other clinical applications

including differentiation of cochlea

malfunctioning, examine the recent impacts on

the hearing, examining the impact of

poisonous drugs on the body including

examining of electromagnetic waves on

human beings.

Parseh Surgical Navigation System

Features & Advantages:

3D indication of the path for surgical

instrument movements in details

Application of advanced techniques of

analysis and recovery of the data provided by

common medical imaging methods such as

MRI and CT scan

Considerable increase in accuracy and quality

of the surgery

Displaying a virtual sight on the computer

screen according to the patient anatomy, from

those surgery positions which are not in the

surgeon direct sight.

The most important application fields: Brain

and Neurosurgery, Ear, Nose and Throat

Surgery, Orthopedics, Spine Surgery,

Radiotherapy

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One of the Agricultural Biotechnology Achievements

Seed Potato RoytuberTM

With over 15 years of research experience in the production of nucleus, pre-basic and basic-seed potato

derived from minituber (RoytuberTM), Royan Tolou Co. has successfully introduced a new and revolu-

tionary method for producing elite seed potato through advanced gardening processes to economically

produce large volumes of healthy and virus-free RoytuberTM seed potato.

Features and Advantages:

A new system of elite seed potato production through scientifically advanced horticultural process of

producing large volumes of Roytuber TM seed potato propogules from virus and pathogen free nuclear

materials

Utilizing for the production of Roytuber TM enables farmers to economically produce high yielding

virus-free seed potato

Reducing the reproduction period of the seeds from 10 years to 4 years

Applications:

Applicable to all potato varieties and has been widely adapted by farmers and the government

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Nanotechnology Initiative Council has a multi-

sectional structure that encompasses all

significant key players in nanotechnology field

including educational, research, industrial,

investment, and policymaking bodies. Activities

of Iran Nanotechnology Initiative Council in

international relations field are as follows:

Establishment of the Regional Network

ECO-NANO with 10 member countries

Establishment of the International Centre on

Nanotechnology research in Iran, in

Association with UNIDO

Iran is also a member of International

Nanotechnology Standardization Committee

(ISO/TC229) with active participations in its

periodical meetings.

Iran is an active member of Asian Nano

Forum (ANF)

Also Iran Nanotechnology Laboratory Network

(INLN) was established with a number of

selected laboratories across the country to

facilitate necessary technological infrastructure.

Iran's growth in the field of nanotechnology has

been remarkable. Iran's rank in nanotechnology

has promoted from 60th in the world in 2000

its entrance to the field of nanotechnology- to

12th in 2011. Since 2004, with the initiation of

human resources development plan, Iran has had

the highest rate of growth in Science generation

among the countries of the world.

By timely realisation of the importance and role

of nanotechnology, Iran commenced extensive

activities in order to benefit from the advantages

of such new technology. By exercising a new

foresight, Irans Presidency Center for

Innovation and Technology Cooperation began

to promote nanotechnology potentials during

2001 and 2002 by employing various methods

such as organising fora and seminars,

establishment of a centre to provide information,

publication of books and bulletins, and holding

meetings with experts. Those efforts resulted in

the recognition of nanotechnology as a

technology with a national priority, and to this

end, Iran Nanotechnology Initiative Council

was established in 2003 in order to

develop nanotechnology in the country. Iran

Nanotechnology

in Iran

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Rank Country Nano-article Share Rank Country Nano-article Share

1 China 13387 26.28% 16 Singapore 985 1.93%

2 USA 10172 19.97% 17 Switzerland 739 1.45%

3 Germany 3702 7.27% 18 Brazil 716 1.41%

4 Japan 3623 7.11% 19 Netherlands 686 1.35%

5 South Korea 3442 6.76% 20 Poland 676 1.33%

6 India 2918 5.73% 21 Sweden 614 1.21%

7 France 2473 4.85% 22 Belgium 545 1.07%

8 UK 1873 3.68% 23 Turkey 503 0.99%

9 Taiwan 1733 3.40% 24 Mexico 423 0.83%

10 Spain 1673 3.28% 25 Malaysia 389 0.76%

11 Italy 1571 3.08% 26 Romania 388 0.76%

12 Iran 1530 3.00% 27 Israel 383 0.75%

13 Russia 1355 2.66% 28 Austria 380 0.75%

14 Canada 1307 2.57% 29 Portugal 346 0.68%

15 Australia 1171 2.30% 30 Ukraine 344 0.68%

Nanotechnology Statistics in Iran

- 1st rank among Islamic Countries

- More than 77 universities and research institutes are involved in Nano-Tech research

- No. of Active academic staff in nanoscience and technology: 1955

- Patents:

73 Patents Published Up To 1 September 2011 In US & EPO

6 Patents Granted Up To 1 September 2011 In US & EPO

Top 30 countries by published nano-articles up to 2011 August 1st

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Geographic distribution of authorship for all countries with >500 records

retrieved from Web of Science for publication year 2010.1

Country Total country records % of all country records

Singapore 9324 16.41

China 131742 15.32

South Korea 40515 13.03

Iran 16072 11.77

India 40748 11.49

Taiwan 24476 11.35

Romania 6389 10.58

Russia 23662 9.75

Japan 77544 8.45

Germany 97374 6.72

Portugal 9571 6.68

France 66727 6.62

Poland 18265 6.54

Czech Republic 9068 6.40

Mexico 9092 6.36

Spain 47957 5.82

Israel 12509 5.75

Switzerland 24404 5.65

Finland 10229 5.38

1 Michael L. Grieneisen and Minghua Zhang, Nanoscience and Nanotechnology: Evolving Definitions and Growing Footprint

on the Scientific Landscape, Department of Land Air and Water Quality, University of California

Davis, CA 95616 USA

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Nanotechnology Priorities:

Energy (Oil, Gas & Petrochemicals, Solar Cells)

Health (DDS & Diagnostic Kits)

Water and Environment

Construction

There are 188 active companies in the field of nanotechnology in Iran that 24 of them produce laboratory

equipments. NAMA-STM is one of the important products in this area:

Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM)

NAMA-STM is an advanced scanning tunneling microscope

These systems are known generally as "the mother of nano-technology"

Enables user to take images from conductive to semi-conductive surfaces like metals or even

biological molecules like DNA or antibody

Providing clear, accurate and reproducible 2D and 3D imaged in nano meter-scale.

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Composites Technology Status in Iran

Articles publications in world rankings:10th

Articles publications in Asia: 4th

Composite consumption per capita 2 Kg

Number of active companies: More than 100

Universities & research centers: 15

Production and consumption of composite

materials is growing increasingly in Iran. How-

ever, the production and consumption of these

new materials was only 0.2 kg per capita in

2000, but today it is more than 2kg. This

growing is mainly because of the lightweight of

these new materials and their good resistance

against corrosion in comparing with metals, that

is vital especially in wet regions of Iran.

Figure1: Composite Consumption Growth in Iran

Goal: Reaching to 3 Kg/Capita till 2012

Advanced Materials and Composite Industry

in Iran

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(Fajr 3) Full Composite Aircraft

4 person sport aircraft

Full composite body

Design organization approval (DOA) due

to JAR-21

Type Certificate due to JAR-23

Composite Folded Structures

This structure is a novel patent which has ad-

vantages such as:

Frameless structure

Small Foundation and load distribution

Earth Quake Resistance

Speed up installation

Iran produce several kinds of resins as

one of the main required component in

polymer matrix composites: (Unsaturated

Polyester Resins & Gelcoats)

Production of Glass Fibers

The main reinforcement fibers in PMCs

Using for production: GRP pipes, Car

Components, Composite boats, Pultruded

profiles,

Some of Achievements in the

fields of Composite Technologies

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Sub-Industries of ICT

Electronics and hardware

The electronics and hardware industry in Iran is

active in the sectors of electronic appliances,

microelectronics, computer hardware, and tele-

communications devices and smart cards. Ira-

nian manufacturers are active in all these sec-

tors.

The main exporters to Iran are South Korea,

Germany, France and Japan, with European

companies mostly active in telecommunications

devices. All the components used in the

industry, except drives and chips, are produced

domestically.

Around one million PCs are sold annually. This

market is worth about US$700 million and

growing at an annual rate exceeding 30 percent.

The electronics and hardware industry generates

0.5 percent of GDP. It has grown steadily over

the past ten years and is expected to grow faster

in the future with government support and

enabling policies.

Information and Communication

Technology in Iran

The ICT industry is relatively new in Iran, but it

is growing rapidly and is now acknowledged as

a critically significant sector of the country. The

ICT market in Iran is estimated to be worth

US$1.5 billion annually and remains largely

unexploited by foreign companies. All factors

considered, Iran is thus an attractive country for

investment and outsourcing.

The main governing body of telecommunica-

tions in Iran is the Ministry of Information and

Communication Technology. Other government

bodies that are involved in ICT matters include

the Ministry of Science, Research and Technol-

ogy, the High Council of Informatics, the

Ministry of Commerce and the Supreme

Council of ICT.

Infrastructure of ICT

Communication services started in Iran in 1889,

and since then the countrys telecommunications

networks have kept pace with innovations in the

industry. Apart from the incumbent Telecom-

munication Company of Iran (TCI), there are 28

provincial telecommunications operators in the

country.

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received ISO 9001 and TickIT certification,

with others planning and working towards

certification.

ICT Achievements

- The DVB-S/S2 modulator

Modulator in the digital satellite uplink for TV

Broadcasting and content distributions

DVB-T Transmitter: Digitally generate a

perfect IF / RF DVB-T signal

Broadcast DVB-H Handheld DVBH-

140V1: Generates the state-of-the-art noise

-free high-MER-quality IF broadcast

modulation

Smart Card

A device for saving of information with the

following features:

Secure because of processing ability

Easily portable because of its small size

According to the world standards

Networks

Irans networking structure consists of LANs,

VANs and VPNs. Ethernet LANs are popular,

and structured cabling is used extensively.

About 100 Iranian companies are active in

providing network-related services, including

network equipment import and manufacturing,

network design and installation, and cabling.

The market value of this sector is around US$70

million per year, with 25 percent annual growth.

Software

The software industry is active in providing

financial solutions, manufacturing information

systems, office automation, graphic and design

solutions, engineering and scientific

applications, and e-learning solutions. The

government has included this industry as one of

six new industries that it will focus on.

Measures that it has adopted to boost the

industry include supporting domestic

production, providing financial backing for

software companies, and awarding government

outsourcing contracts to Iranian companies.

There are more than 500 registered software

companies and many more unregistered

groups in the country. Eight of them have

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hopes to be generating 14GW by hydroelectric

power by 2021 (representing 20% of Iran's

projected electrical capacity).

Solar

The potential for solar electricity generation in

Iran is virtually limitless. Iran is just outside the

tropic of Capricorn and much of the country

experiences high levels of solar radiation, a

daily average of between 5.0 and 5.4 kW h/m2

in the south of the country (in comparison

London receives a daily dose of around 1.0 kW

h/m2).

This gives an energy generating capacity of

approximately 0.5kW /m2 of solar panels, or

500MW /km2. The deserts of Iran occupy a

quarter of the total land area; if only one per

cent of the desert area was covered by solar PV

collectors, the energy obtained would be five

times more than the current annual electricity

consumption in Iran.

Wind

Wind energy for electricity generation and water

pumps holds a great deal of promise in the east

of Iran. The wind potential has been studied in

45 experimental sites. It was estimated that there

was a realistic prospective capacity of 6,500

MW.

Renewable Energies in Iran

Renewable energy has a rich potential for

dispersed job creation in many parts of Iran, in

the construction, erection and repair of large

scale and micro-generation plant. Given the

growing global concerns over energy insecurity

and climate change, technologies associated

with renewable have a strong export potential.

Iran's varied geography is well suited to a

diverse and extensive use of renewable energy

sources: hydro and geothermal in the northern

and western areas, wind in the eastern and

southern plains, and solar energy in the central

and southern areas.

Hydro

In Iran's modest renewable energy story to date,

hydroelectricity is the notable exception. Iran is

clearly investing significant resources in its

development. The country has an estimated

potential for hydroelectric power generation of

between 23 and 42GW. By 2007 the seven

hydroelectric power plants being constructed

should be generating over 8GW of electricity -

more power than all Iran's other power

generation projects currently being developed

combined. With further expansion planned, the

government

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Taleghan Renewable Energy Park

Center for H2 & FC technology demonstration

and other kind of renewable energies

Some Activities for Development of Fuel Cell

Advanced Technology in Iran

Designing and manufacturing of 5 kW

polymer fuel cell with the aim of technical

knowledge compilation

Designing and manufacturing of polymer

fuel cell components designing and

manufacturing of single-cell solid oxide

fuel cell with the aim of technical

knowledge compilation

Designing and manufacturing of single-cell

solid oxide fuel cell with the aim of

technical knowledge compilation

Geothermal

Iran has substantial geothermal potential. It has

been estimated that Meshikin-shahr, Sabalan,

Damavand and Azarbaijan could produce

7.5GW of electric power. Geothermal explora-

tion was started in Iran by Ente Nazional per

l'Energia Elettrica of Italy (ENEL) and the

Ministry of Energy 30 years ago in 1975. After

the establishment of the Electric Power

Research Center (EPRC) and the Renewable

Energy Organization of Iran (SUNA) 1990, a

new round of exploration activities began. In

1995, SUNA started to explore other sites for

geothermal potential.

Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Activities in Iran

More than one decade activity

More than 50 R&D centers

Many projects in production, storage,

distribution and consumption of hydrogen

(lab/pilot projects).

Installing off-grid solar-hydrogen energy

and fuel cell systems.

Installing and testing of hydrogen fuel cell

cars in Iran

Design, construction, and testing of

hydrogen storage vessel (100 bar, 20 m3)

Design, manufacturing, testing and

installing of a 200kw water electrolyzer

with capacity of 40 Nm3/h of hydrogen.

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Designing and manufacturing of Fuel Cell Vehicle such as Intelligent Electric

Soren, The First National Electric Automobile

Features:

Maximum speed: 140 km per hour

Maximum distance: 200 km

Electric engine with the average power of 40

KW and maximum power of 70 KW

Battery type: lithium battery between 25 to 30

KWper hour, with BMS and Charger

Advantages:

Promotion of technology in the production of electronic automobiles

Prevention of causing environmental pollution

Conservation in energy consumption

Economic profitability for the country due to lack of fuel consumption and prevention of causing

pollution

Providing the field of cooperation between experts in Iran and abroad for the transfer of

technology and technical knowledge