A summary of the performance report of the policy and strategic assessment affairs headquarter in 2017
1. Defining and correcting the laws, regulations, and executive programs to develop the knowledge-based economy
Completing the lost circles of the innovation system of the country, especially in the policy-making dimension, legislation and regulation and elimination of challenges on the path of companies producing knowledge-based products in this field are among the most important challenges in the area of achieving knowledge-based economy and economy of resistance. Development of knowledge-based economy in five prioritized areas of activities of the Vice-Presidency for science and technology affairs includes the strengthening of the supply part, motivating the demand part, facilitating the supply and demand exchanges, supplying financial sources of research and innovation, and discussions related to political intelligence deals with many legal and organizational challenges, such as violation, interruption or discrepancy in the relevant laws and regulations. Given the diversity of challenges faced in the implementation of each of the five areas, the issues that require change, modification or suitable political suggestion will be put on the agenda of the policy and strategic assessment affairs headquarter.
Some of the measures taken in this area in 2017 included:
- Defining the program for the development of knowledge-based products:
The article 43 of the law for the elimination of barriers to competitive production and improvement of the financial system of the country has obligated the government to define and operationalize the program for the development of production, demand, and export of knowledge-based products. To this end, a working group was formed with the cooperation of various executive organizations (e.g., planning and management organization of the country, ministries of economic affairs and finance, ministry of agriculture, health and treatment, and medical education, and science, research and technology) and in the presence of a number of experts in the fields of technology, innovation and economy. This working group is supported by a group of experts. After the analysis of documents and necessities, the working group defined the topics of programs and activities in line with the elimination of damages and development of knowledge-based production. Ultimately, the program was approved by the government delegation with 23 articles. In this program, defined by the policy-making office, it was aimed to consider all recognized aspects and create a complete program for development of production of knowledge-based products with regard to political tools.
- Participating in the design and follow-up of execution of plans of the headquarter for economy of resistance:
After the issuance of the general policies of economy of resistance by the Supreme Leader and formation of the “headquarter for economy of resistance” in the 12th government, 12 national programs were defined in line with the strengthening of the economy of the country. In addition, a special working group was proposed for each plan or project to operationalize them. Ultimately, two projects of “implementation of the system to support 3000 knowledge-based companies” and “design and implementation of the national market protection system in the knowledge-based field through preparing the sectoral technology appendix in four executive organizations” were approved as the prioritized projects of the Vice-Presidency in 2016 and passed their implementation stages based on the decisions made in the headquarter for economy of resistance.
- Defining and implementing the balanced evaluation system of the strategic technologies development headquarters:
With regard to the missions of the Vice-Presidency for science and technology affairs in the form of the law for permanent rules of development programs of the country and with the goal of planning to realize the missions of the Vice-Presidency in mission fields of headquarters, optimal use of capacities and political tools created in the mission field of headquarters and avoiding duplication, and regular and integrated assessment of activities of the technology development headquarters and creating the possibility of planning to improve and promote the scientific and technology position of the country, “the regulations on balanced missions of the technology development headquarters of the Vice-Presidency” was defined by the policy and strategic assessment affairs headquarter and issued to secretariats of headquarters on August 19th 2019 for implementation. In this regard, the missions of the technology development headquarters are defined in six areas of “supporting the achievement of scientific authority for the country and creating national strategic infrastructures in the key areas”, “promoting and culture-building science, technology and entrepreneurship”, “facilitating international scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation”, “developing strategic technologies fitted to the country’s needs”, “improving technology in the existing industries and developing new knowledge-based businesses” and “developing the market for knowledge-based products” so that balance and comprehensive topic are considered in each key areas of the headquarters.
- Defining programs to develop occupations for the graduated workforce:
The human capital is the most important asset of countries in the new development models, and the young, educated, and motivated workforce is the main development area. Nevertheless, the optimal use of this asset requires planning for its actual entrance in the field of the economy through occupation and entrepreneurship. In this regard, the occupation of experienced and educated human resources is one of the most important goals of the 12th government. In this regard, innovative approaches have been employed by all organizations, including the Vice-Presidency for science and technology affairs, to realize this issue. In this regard, the Vice-Presidency for science and technology affairs has attempted to define the “program for the development of occupation of expert and graduated human resources”, presented to the planning and budget organization and specialized commissions of the Islamic consultative assembly in 2017. The program has considered three main approaches for development of occupation of graduated and expert human resources: A) development of occupation based on completion and improvement of the innovation ecosystem of the country, B) finding and flourishing various talents in human resources, C) innovation in economic structures, especially in service sections, to attract graduated human resources
- Defining the national document of development of knowledge-based economy:
The issue of the knowledge-based economy can cause challenges on the path toward knowledge-based economy only through topics such as level of expenditure of research or excessive emphasis on support of new and startup companies or economy of top talents [1]. In addition to these concepts, the competitiveness of large industrial and service companies of the country, development of innovative knowledge-based businesses, enhancing entrepreneurial abilities and diversifying in the export of various products must be considered simultaneously. In this regard and to define the major policies of the country to move toward the knowledge-based economy with the mentioned features, “the national document of the knowledge-based economy” was presented by the policy-making headquarters to the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution for assessment.
Defining and concluding a contract for effective improvement of general military service:
A cooperation agreement was signed between the Vice-Presidency for science and technology affairs and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran to exchange experiences, help organizing the general military service, especially for innovative and graduated experts, implement research projects to supply public safety and defending the borders and in line with the necessity of learning skills of in-service employees and improving the productivity of the military service period. In this regard, some of the agreements included: A) annual suggestion of 1000 prioritized national research projects to the elites foundation of armed forces, B) annual employment of the final 6-12 months of the military service period in knowledge-based, creative, manufacturing and service companies with research and development units and companies based in science and technology parks, C) increasing the range of those subject to the elites benefits for military services to activists in knowledge-based and creative companies.
- Defining an executive regulation for program of supporting the development of creative companies:
Along with the formation of knowledge-based companies in scientific and academic centers, another part of companies in creative and cultural industries and new and digital-based services have emerged and grown in this ecosystem. The essence of the growth of these companies is based on innovation and creativity for providing new products and services and new business models at the level of target markets and not necessarily in the stages of formation and growth based on the research and development of advanced technologies. On the other hand, while relatively large companies are active in this field, their main driver is creative and innovative startup companies. In the current situation and due to the emphasis of the knowledge-based law on advanced technologies, there is no integrated support program in other areas, and there is a great necessity for attention to this type of creative companies as a complementary program in the knowledge-based field. In this respect and due to the high capacity of job creation and economic booming in this area, the executive regulation for support of the mentioned companies has been defined and issued in May 2017. The second version of the mentioned regulation was published in March 11th after making appropriate corrections.
2. Defining and publishing political documents on increase of political intelligence:
Whether in short and long-term or for farther futures, policy-making and planning requires “strategic intelligence” that monitoring “delivering accurate information to the right person at the right time to make the correct decision”. Increasing the effectiveness and richness of policies and strategic actions of the Vice-Presidency for science and technology affairs in all areas also requires "strategic/policy intelligence", which must be penetrated into the veins and capillaries of the Vice-Presidency, and at higher levels, other government organs and units, like fresh blood. In this respect, the policy-making headquarter has presented reports and documents on improvement of this type of intelligence, as follows:
- Publication of book of “specialized tools for the formation of an innovation development financial system:
“Specialized financial services related to the development of innovation in the agency are among the most important topics of the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, recognized as the most significant stimulator of improvement of economic businesses in terms of penetration of knowledge, improvement of innovation and increase of international competitiveness. Fortunately, some specialized financial units of knowledge-based economy have been created in the framework of the law for support of knowledge-based companies and institutions and the law to eliminate barriers to competitive production and improvement of financial system of the country such as Iran National Innovation Fund and non-government research and technology funds. Therefore, the applications of the mentioned units must be followed up until reaching the desired optimal model and forming the complementary financial tools. In this regard, one of the successful experiences of using the various national tools that fit the total needs of the growth period of companies is BPI France. The mentioned book is in fact a report on a brief introduction to the public investment bank of France, specialized services provided in five areas of loans, aids, investment, guarantee, insurance, counseling and participation in work of companies.
- Collection and Pathology of "Laws and Regulations Related to the Development of Knowledge-based Economy”:
The role of science and technology policies, one of the main pillars of which is the adopted laws, has been undeniable in the development of countries in recent years. One of the important missions of this headquarter is to promote the knowledge of decision-makers in the field of science and technology by publishing the results of studies and useful materials for policy-makers and policy researchers in this field. Integrated acquaintance with the legal environment in a logical continuum is a necessity for those involved in designing and implementing processes at this historical phase of the state of science and technology in the country. Such an approach distinguishes this series of books from books that are compiled as parts or with the view of academic users. In this respect, the book of “Laws and Regulations Related to the Development of Knowledge-based Economy” was published in Fall 2017 by the efforts of the policy-making and strategic assessment development headquarter so that in addition to the collection of relevant laws, groundwork is laid for the communication and pathology of rules.
- Report on “The Credit Guarantee System of Small and Medium Enterprises”:
Financing is one of the most important problems of small and medium enterprises and knowledge-based companies. Since financing systems are mostly bank-based, and a system that works based on banks requires security that cannot be supplied by companies, and with regard to the experiences of other countries, it seems that the credit guarantee system has solved the issue of security largely and has eliminated the main barriers to financing of companies. Two successful experiences of credit guarantee system of Japan and South Korea are evaluated in this report, and scenarios are presented at the end for development of a credit system in the knowledge-based area of the country.
- Report on “Necessities, Patterns, and Requirements of Digital Economy Development”:
Digital economy is a relevantly new concept that is evolving with the development of information technology and its application in communities. Known as new, internet, or network economy, digital economy is based on digital technologies, including digital communication networks (the Internet and other value added networks), computers, software, and other related communication technologies. Governments facilitate the penetration and development of digital economy through policy-making, supplying the necessary infrastructures and reducing the distance between the use of information technology and design of incentive mechanisms for development and use of technology.
With the help of governments, various sectors of the society’s economy and organizations and businesses can supply their desired foundation and benefit from the advantages of this economy through exploiting the facilities provided by the government, recognizing their business-related needs, and relying on their abilities. With regard to the link between digital economy and startup ecosystem of the country, the mentioned report was designed and presented in December 2017 to familiarize decision-makers, managers, and policy-makers with the necessities, patterns, and requirements of digital economy.
3. National Foresight Program
The national foresight program has aimed to lay the proper foundation for improvement and growth of foresight thinking at all society levels. The primary goal of the program is creating an objective understanding of the future and its changes, consensus on the adoption of policies and strategies at the national level, forming a mechanism for warning future changes and, as a result, establishing private-public partnerships in designing solutions and addressing national priorities, all of which will lead to a better future for the country. According to these goals and necessities, the Vice-Presidency for science and technology affairs has been appointed the responsibility of designing national foresight programs in the country. By activating the secretariat of the program in 2015 and designing a national and domestic model, the project is being carried out in coordination with other units and organizations through establishing the project management committees and determining the schedule of programs for each committee. Some of the measures taken in this regard include:
- Formation of project management committees in five areas:
In order to achieve goals related to the program, four areas have been considered, including “energy area with the topic of consumption optimization”, “area of health with the topic of digital health area”, “transportation field with the topic of future automobiles” and “area of information and communications technology and future of society”. Another issue considered in this field is “primary evaluation of trends affecting science and technology”. Project management committees have been determined in all prioritized fields with the duty of monitoring and participating in holding the project in each selected field. These committees explain each of the specialized areas by determining the main area of the activity and the framework of executive actions. In this respect, each specialized group must analyze top 10 reports on the future trend of specialized fields and present results and send the analytical reports to the secretariat of the national foresight plan.
- Executive Measures of the Secretariat of the National Foresight Plan:
The executive measures of the national foresight program are implemented base on various levels of audiences and by assessing the global experiences in this regard. The custodian of each of these ideas is the secretariat or the project management commitment. Some of these measures include:
A) monitoring letter: includes letters that attempt to appreciate previous activities in the foresight field while promoting the results obtained from relevant studies.
B) assessing global experiences in the foresight field: it is attempted to consider the similarities and differences between national foresight programs of different countries as a starting point for design of national foresight.
C) holding the future image competition: the main topic of future image competition is based on identified ultra-processes, and universities and the ministry of education are the main cooperators of the event.
D) holding specialized meetings and forums: these meetings are held in the presence of domestic and foreign experts, where challenges, opportunities, and technologies of the future are introduced and their impact is analyzed. To date, 11 specialized meetings and forums have been held in prioritized fields.
E) future book festival: after assessing the published books with the topic of future, the top books of the field will be introduced. This book is evaluated in specialized meetings by experts and the top book will be introduced by the secretariat after the participation of audiences.
- Development of Information Infrastructure of Foresight:
The national foresight secretariat has aimed to provide an information infrastructure in line with raising the public awareness of activities of the secretariat, attracting the community’s participation, clarifying and presenting a report and guiding the foresight programs of the country. In this respect, some of the measures include:
A) the official foresight website: official informing of the national foresight plan, the official window for performing projects, regulations, and instructions,
B) the national network of foresight studies: a network for covering unofficial content and analytical reports in the field of foresight,
C) future intelligence: a system as a foundation for performing assessments and Delphi studies, presenting technological processes and data, analyzing the data and extracting analytical diagrams, providing access to interpretations and qualitative reports of domestic and foreign units and presenting digital content in this area.
4. Technology Attachment Regulations:
A large market along with unique natural resources of the country motivates many foreign companies to enter Iran. For many years, these companies have attempted to enter this report and sell their products and services. However, providing this market for foreign companies is not associated with suitable points provided by the foreign parties most of the times. Therefore, the domestic market has not been turned into a lever for development similar to other countries. On the other hand, the existence of actual and potential capacities of specialized human resources and knowledge-based companies has provided the necessary groundwork for a major leap in the various fields of knowledge-based economy. To use these capacities and develop the technological capability of domestic and knowledge-based companies through technological learning, the headquarter has defined and proposed the “regulation of technology attachment and development of domestic capabilities in international contracts and important national plans”, which was approved on the 23rd meeting of council meeting of economy of resistance in July 2016 with the goal of making important and sensitive economic sections knowledge-based and transforming and localizing technology in foreign transactions. In this respect and in order to efficiently implement this regulation, the representative of the vice president for science and technology affairs became a member of the economic council. The most important measures taken in this field include:
- Evaluative and Infrastructural Projects and Activities:
In order to achieve goals defined in technology attachment field, some fundamental infrastructures and studies must be carried out. Accordingly, several important measures have been taken in 2017, including: A) development of technology atlas software for important and key projects, B) regulation of guideline for defining a program for technology abilities development, C) report of improvement of performance of government research organizations, D) report of financing and investment models along with learning model, and E) creation of a database of important national contracts
- Cooperation with major parts of knowledge-based economy:
Cooperation with key stakeholders of economy through maximum use of developed capacities in the past three years, such as membership in economy council, workgroup of Article 43, and sectoral agreements and developing new agreements with executive organizations along with networking and creating effective communication with key individuals in favor of development of the domestic power were put on the agenda in 2017. In this regard, some measures taken include:
A) following up technology attachment and creating a current through the first vice president,
B) increasing the role playing of the Vice-Presidency in the field of attachment in economy council,
C) developing cooperation in the field of technology attachment with the organization of budget and planning,
D) activating and following up affairs related to the secretariat of Article 43 in line with the marketing goals of knowledge-based products and technology attachment,
E) following up the implementation of agreements made last year with the ministries of industry, mine and trade, agriculture, energy, health, information technology and communication,
F) following up the development of cooperation and laying the groundwork for concluding new agreements with ministries of road and construction, oil and organization of endowment and charity.
- Advancement of Strategic Issues and Political Documents in the Field of Technology Attachment: designing the program of development of engineering and Technology abilities (atlas of policy capability and document) and advancing the key topics of cooperation with other parts of the Vice-Presidency are among other measures taken to develop technology attachment in the country. Some of the measures taken in this regard include:
A) development of production, the domestic market, and the export of medical equipment through agreements signed with the ministry of health and the foreign currency trust board,
B) following up to develop the market and ecosystem of healthy food with the help of the biotechnology development headquarter,
C) following up and designing programs for development of technology and engineering capabilities in the field of urban rail transport,
D) following up the design of programs for development of domestic capabilities in turbo machine industry,
E) following up to define the primary version of technology attachment using the ability of counselors and with the cooperation of technology development headquarters in the fields of solar power plant, combined cycle power plant, incinerators, desalination devices, ship, medicine and helicopter
5. Design and Establishment of the National Monitoring and Evaluation System of Science, Technology and Innovation:
Providing a clear and realistic picture of the state of science, technology and innovation of the country, creating policy intelligence, creating synergy and consensus in providing analytical and functional reports in the country, and comparing the achievements of the country with other regional countries and transnational countries are among the necessities of the development of science and technology and priorities included in upstream documents. According to the executive regulations of the monitoring and evaluation system of the science, technology and innovation of the country approved by the supreme council for science, research and technology (ATF), the headquarter has started to design and implement a national monitoring and evaluation system for Iran's technology and innovation.
This system is an important and balanced tool for providing a comprehensive, transparent, and consistent picture of the state of technology and innovation in the country, based on the study of more than 10 monitoring and evaluation systems at the national and international levels in other countries and the past experiences of the country and extracting the indicators contained in the upstream documents. In fact, the indicators existing in international models have been considered for evaluation of the status of technology and innovation in countries (especially regional countries pointed out in the vision document). As pointed out in the executive regulations of monitoring and evaluation system of science, technology and innovation in the country, the indicators defined in science, technology and innovation evaluation system are divided into 11 main criteria. According to the division of labor provided in this regulation, “the indicators of academic education, research, and technology of the country” with the pivotal role of ministry of science and cooperation of corresponding organizations and indicators of “research and development, commercialization and innovation of the country” with the pivotal role of the Vice-Presidency for science and technology affairs and cooperation of cooperating organizations will be prepared. “The research and development, commercialization and innovation section of the country” includes all research and development, commercialization and innovation activities of agencies and industries of the country. With regard to the division of labor, the Vice-Presidency for science and technology affairs is responsible for collecting and distributing indicators related to three major criteria of financial innovation and technology resources, economic achievements and environment and unit framework with the cooperation of effective organization of the field.
In this regard, data was collected about the indicators of three criteria with the cooperation of relevant organizations and will be made available to the science and technology community of the country in the form of a website.
6- Improvement of Global Innovation Index (GII) of the Country:
The Vice-Presidency for science and technology affairs has put improving the GII of the country on its agenda since 2015. In this regard, an interorganizational working group was formed in the presence of the representatives of all organizations and ministries related to this field proportional to the national innovation balance dimensions hosted by the Vice-Presidency for science and technology affairs, where the required negotiations were carried out with international intellectual properties organization, the publisher of the reminded report. Based on interorganizational cooperation, data of 81 index has been collected in this report and is being sent to the international intellectual properties organization. With follow-ups made in this field, Iran has had a remarkable growth based on the latest GII report presented on June 16th, 2017, which contained the evaluation of this index in 127 countries of the world. This improvement has been the result of employing policies of economy of resistance and developing knowledge-based economy in the government of prude and production. In this regard, Iran’s rank has improved from 120 in 2014 to 78 in 2017, and to 75 in the current year, indicating that Iran has had the most growth in the field of innovation in the south and north Asian region after India. The constant improvement of GII in Iran is somehow related to the follow-ups made by the Vice-Presidency in collecting data related to the indicators of the report and its international delivery and distribution. This process is being followed up in 2018 based on a codified program.