The UNESCO Science Report, which is published annually and deals with the state of science, technology and development of countries, in 2021, in particular, examines Iran's position in the development of science and technology, the prosperity of knowledge-based and creative companies.

In the fifteenth chapter of this report, the progress and growth of the country in areas such as knowledge-based companies, research and development activities and the expansion of innovation centers are mentioned.

The UNESCO report in 2021 points to an increase in the number of innovation centers, accelerators and technology growth centers since 1394, along with an increase in domestic demand.

This report examines the dimensions of the growth of the innovation and technology ecosystem in Iran, which examines the harms and obstacles faced by knowledge-based, creative and startup activists.

According to the report, despite these challenges, there were advantages for Iran. The imposition of heavy sanctions on oil exports has brought the capacity of the knowledge-based economy to the attention of the government. Government support for knowledge-based companies, creative companies, and startups has increased in recent years, boosting these businesses.

The 2021 UNESCO Science Report identifies the significant growth in endogenous innovation over the past five years with growth; In 2015, the first innovation centers and accelerators were established to empower startups in Iran.

According to the Science Report in 2021, since 2018, the Vice Presidency of Science and Technology has published books on global experiences in 20 technology-based fields to inform entrepreneurs about innovation opportunities in the world. These areas include waste management, agriculture, water and drought management, air pollution, sports and physical health, digital health, social innovation, energy, tourism, insurance, education and data mining.

Some large private companies have diversified their investment portfolios and since 2015 a total of 20 startups in strategic areas such as digital economy, water, energy, laser and photonics, cognitive science, aerospace, software, creative industries, agriculture and transportation. Have set up.

This report analyzes that the fields of biotechnology and nanotechnology are among the strengths of research and technology in Iran. By 2018, 524 companies active in the field of biotechnology were formed in Iran, and sales of nano-manufacturing products in Iran increased 12 times in just 3 years.

According to the Scopus citation database, between 2012 and 2018, the number of Iranian scientific publications in the field of health and hygiene increased by 64%.

Since 2016, the share of domestic pharmaceutical production has increased rapidly. The domestic market in 1397 was worth $ 4.5 billion, 70% of which were domestic-owned pharmaceutical companies.

By 2019, Iran managed to produce 95% of the drugs required by the domestic market, including two thirds of the active ingredients of these drugs, and in 2019 to export drugs to 170 countries, the destination of a significant part of which was the European Union. 

 2021 UNESCO Report In 2021, Iran addresses the Corona Challenge and the ability of knowledge-based companies to meet this problem. As he states, in 1399, the outbreak of Covid 19 virus faced a great challenge to Iran's economy. While Iranians were preparing for the New Year celebration, the number of confirmed cases reached 30,000.

 At the beginning of the new year, a step was taken to compensate for the shortcomings by re-targeting the production capacity of personal safety equipment such as masks and disinfectants.

The report also cites the Vice Presidency of Science and Technology's support for knowledge-based companies' actions against Bakuwood, including lending interest-free loans to businesses, launching the Corona Plus scan to encourage creative companies to provide solutions to meet the challenges of the 19-year-old. Funding for businesses aims to help produce medical equipment from disinfectants and preservatives to ventilators and diagnostic kits and even to find new treatments, including support measures.

 The 2021 report of UNESCO has introduced the situation of Iran in the field of knowledge-based and creative businesses of digital, space and information technology. According to this report, the number of online infrastructures in Iran's biology has increased in the last 5 years.

The outbreak of the Quid 19 virus has boosted demand for creative healthcare companies and promoted applications for new smartphones in the field on city billboards.

The growth of supply and demand for online services has been accompanied by an increase in the penetration of the Internet, especially the mobile Internet. Internet penetration reached 70% in 2020, while in 2015, Internet penetration was 40%. In addition, two-thirds of 65% of mobile phone users in Iran have access to the Internet.

 In the 2021 report of UNESCO, in the fifteenth chapter of which specifically deals with the situation of science and technology in Iran, significant points are mentioned. Download the digital version of the fifteenth chapter of this report from the publications of the website of the Vice Presidency of Science and Technology and read it in full.

Communication and Information Center in the Vice Presidency of Science and Technology