The vice president for science and technology affairs stated: the problems faced by knowledge-based companies, startups and academics are rooted in the oil-based culture, which can be changed with the help of activists in the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.

According to the public relations and information center of the Vice-Presidency for science and technology affairs, Sorena Sattari, the vice president for science and technology affairs, attended a meeting participated by professors and faculty members who returned to the country. In this meeting, the attendees talked about the current problems and the key role of academics in solving them.

Sattari expressed that the support provided by the Vice-Presidency and the national elites foundation has been in line with the formation of a new perspective in the economy of the country, asserting: we will try to provide a new environment for research in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship through promoting the knowledge-based thinking style.

Cooperation with the Ecosystem

According to the vice president for science and technology affairs, the effectiveness of the activists of the ecosystem must be so high that it could be comprehended in the society and the importance of knowledge, technology and entrepreneurship would be realized. This has been made possible by allocating a small space to the startup and knowledge-based activists in the economy of the country.

Fundamental but Solvable

Sattari also reminded the fundamental nature of the problems faced by residents of ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship, continuing: the problems and challenges faced by knowledge-based companies are inefficient infrastructures and problems caused by the method of thinking in these structures, which can be transformed with the help of the ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship.

According to Sattari, cooperation with the activists of the ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship is the solution to this problem.

He also explained the share of all sections (e.g., academics) in changing the culture of economy and providing a suitable environment for innovation and entrepreneurship, adding: top talents, researchers and professors returning to the country joint the ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship to increase the culture of innovation that has been suppressed by the raw-selling economy. In this path, all sections of the society must have serious determination in joining and cooperation with this ecosystem.

Pointing out the mission of the Vice-Presidency, which is the support of fundamental transformations in the economy, Sattari affirmed: I will try to spend time with all knowledge-based companies and startups since economic progress in the country will be realized through this path. Fortunately, we have witnessed great phenomenon in the trend of development of ecosystem of entrepreneurship and innovation, in a way that today, having a business by a faculty member is considered as a value.

The vice president for science and technology affairs stated: today, the traditional part of the economy and society will lose if it picks a fight with knowledge-based companies and startups. Therefore, these businesses must be supported and invested in order to be maintained.

The president of the national elites foundation had a recommendation for academic elites. He expressed: universities that are based on the structure of oil revenues and have been moving along the same lines for years, are inconsistent with innovation and change. It is possible to correct this process by the tolerance of creative and young academics. Dependence on these structures can also infect you, just as government research institutes and research institutes do nothing but contaminate new studies.

Difficult Structure

According to the vice president for science and technology affairs, structures such as university and industry that were imported and far from our culture, lack the ability to understand the importance of concepts such as knowledge, technology, creativity, and innovation. The language of university and industry is not familiar with elites, human resources, and innovation and everything has been purchased with the help of oil money.

Sattari talked about the difference between an oil manager and an innovative manager working in the ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship: a manager accustomed to the oil-based economy thinks that he is dependent on oil. On the other hand, a person at the beginning of the entrepreneurship path adapts himself to the level of access to oil manager. Generally, this structure of resources is based on oil rent. Therefore, there is no success in this path.

The vice president for science and technology affairs considered these structures to lack a proper understanding of importance of elite human resources, asserting: as the most important output, students and engineers show efficiency and make the industry optimal and lead to research, production, and development.

Sattari continued: I believe that the country pays a lot for research. However, we have inadequate knowledge in this regard, and the private sector’s investors must be persuaded to invest in the prioritized sections of investment.

According to the vice president for science and technology affairs, such problems occur when there is no sign of role-playing of the society members in research, entrepreneurship and economy. For instance, there are many problems in the distribution area of the country.

This meeting was held in the presence of 45 graduates of top universities of the world, who were returned to the country in the form of a program of the international interaction center for science and technology to cooperate with non-resident Iranian experts. In addition, the event was supported by the national elites foundation.

The professors returning to the country expressed their needs, concerns, and achievements with the vice presidency. It was decided to in addition to evaluation of the barriers, the foundations be laid for more interaction between these individuals and the science and technology interaction center of the national elites foundation.