The vice president for science and technology affairs believes that concluding a memorandum of understanding between the Vice-Presidency and the Planning and Budget Organization will pave the way for the creation of a proper ecosystem for knowledge-based companies and startups to develop occupations in the country.

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, stated on the ceremony that this memorandum of understanding will pave the path of occupation development by establishing a proper ecosystem for knowledge-based companies and startups, expressing: creating the proper business environment is the most important concern of the young and educated human resources of the country. In this memorandum of understanding, the path for solving problems and providing an innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem will be paved by the contributions of the Planning and Budget Organization.

Establishment of a Paved Path for Occupation of the Young and Creative Human Resources

President of the national elites foundation pointed out that entrepreneurship by creative human resources will lead to the creation of added value and occupations, declaring: activists of knowledge-based companies and startups, who initiated their work with few and limited facilities, have reached incomes worth of billion and have become a successful model in this regard. Fortunately, entrepreneurship in the country has led to the establishment of more than 3700 knowledge-based companies and revenues of 60 trillion, which has highlighted the role of knowledge and technology and importance of creative human resources more than ever.

The vice president for science and technology affairs mentioned the emergence of new concepts in the area of business environment of the country, affirming: innovative factories, accelerators, and venture capitals are a part of these novel concepts, enter of which into the economy of the country will result in the evolution of this area.

He continued: in the end, we seek the formation of models for technological cities, where the foundation has been laid for occupation of educated society.

He also claimed that Iran feels the power of human resources in its economy more than ever with the multiplication of the growth of startup companies and the growth of employment and revenue for these businesses next year. In this regard, he added: a significant part of challenges in the realization of knowledge-based economy and flourishing of creative human resources will be eliminated by the formation of a proper business environment and necessary infrastructures.

Sattari expressed his hope that signing of this memorandum of understanding and providing the necessary support by relevant units, such as the Planning and Budget Organization, will pave the way for the development of ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship to create occupation based on the knowledge-based economy.

Development of the Knowledge-based Economy Considering Six Strategic Areas

According to this agreement, programs to increase jobs for educated and expert human resources will be followed up by the Vice-Presidency in six areas.

The axis of promoting the scale of production and employment of powerful knowledge-based companies will be realized with the goal of providing facilities for developing production capacity to the selected knowledge-based companies.
In the second axis, as a market for internal-production equipment, targeted support is to promote the development of a market for high-quality in-house products, through directing the budget of executive agencies without any significant financial burden on the government.

The third axis of the memorandum of understanding is allocated to the development program of six knowledge-based transformative products. The main goal of this axis is elimination of important national challenges of the country and increasing the level of general welfare through using technological solutions and achieving the updated technologies of the world.

In the fourth axis, which is development of creative industries with an emphasis on innovation in business models and promotion of cultural industries, the completion of the knowledge-based law and the protection of active innovations in creative cultural industries are followed by business model innovations and social innovations.

Moreover, presence of private companies and large economic sections in presentation of innovation is the fifth axis of the memorandum of understanding with the goal of attracting the participation of a large economic section in the development of ecosystem of knowledge-based economy and support of increasing their investment in the development of innovation and research and technological startups.

The sixth axis is in the form of a program for comprehensive supply and demand for trained human resources. The main goal of this axis is increasing the operational skill of academic graduates and eliminating the needs of companies to expert and high-quality human resources through the recognition of the supply and demand of human resources.

Creating Employment for Young People in the Main Priorities of the Ministry of Cooperation, Labor and Social Welfare

Anoushiravan Mohseni Bandpey, head of ministry of cooperatives, labor, and social welfare, stated that creating youth employment is one of the main priorities of the country. In this regard, he affirmed: an average of 500,000 university graduates enter the labor market annually. For instance, three million people were added to the active population of country during Fall 2016-Summer 2017. He continued: over these seven seasons, the government has been able to produce two million and 100 thousand job opportunities, and occupation creation is provided for 70% of the active population.

Employment Program for Above One Million People

Mohammad Bagher Nobakht, head of the Planning and Budget Organization regarded this memorandum of understanding to be in line with the six development program and creation of occupation for three million and 200 unemployed people.

Nobakht pointed out the implementation of occupation creation program based on Note 18 of the Budget Law, expressing: based on this memorandum of understanding, 12 programs and two complementary programs will be performed for occupation creation, all of which will be executed based on the budget law.

All-around Support of Knowledge-based Economy by the National Development Fund

Morteza Shahidzadeh, head of the national development fund, regarded the memorandum of understanding signed by the mentioned organizations to be in line with a part of the mission of the national development fund.

According to more than 398 Thousand Jobs in the Form of 12 Programs

According to the memorandum of understanding signed between the budget organization and the Vice-Presidency for science and technology affairs, 12 programs and two complementary programs have laid the foundation for more than 398 thousand occupations. In total, six programs will be in the area of knowledge-based companies and creative industries, laying the foundation for the formation of 64 thousand occupations.

The necessary credit for realization of these six programs will be supplied by the national development fund, credits of the Note 18 of the budget law in 2018 and banking credits.

In addition, the six projects of the ministry for 70 thousand young workforce, supplying employee insurance incentives for 200 thousand individuals, program of skill learning in actual workplaces for 200 thousand individuals, supply of minimum income for 60 thousand individuals in less-privileged provinces with a high rate of unemployment by the budget and planning organization, financial support of villages in three thousand self-help groups, creating home jobs for 37 thousand individuals by the academic center for education, culture and research, and two complementary programs will be carried out for economic agencies with financial difficulties.

These projects will be implemented by 1600 billion IRT worth of credits, 750 billion IRT of which will be supplied by banking financial facilities and credits of the Note 18 of the budget law.

In addition, six projects, including increased level of production and improvement of productivity, commercialization and market creation for domestic equipment, operationalization of production of six transformative knowledge-based products, development of creative industries with an emphasis on improvement of business space, increased presence of the private sector in innovative projects and leveling the supply and demand of human resources to create occupation for 64 thousand and 200 individuals by receiving a credit of 1800 billion IRT from the banking network and 220 billion IRT credits of the Note 18 of the budget law, will be performed in 2018.