The vice president for science and technology affairs stated: the new generation of entrepreneurs will change the economy. In this regard, the businesses that properly understand the innovative ideas of these individuals will remain and pay the way for creativity of these people by investment.

According to the public relations and information center of the Vice-Presidency for science and technology affairs, on the final day of his trip to Yazd, Sattari attended the council meeting of economy of resistance in the province, which is held in the presence of the governor, technology activists, and provincial authorities and academics, and explained the critical necessity of changing the path toward creating a creative and entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Sattari continued: more than 4300 knowledge-based companies and 6000 startups have gained more than 90,000 billion tomans last year. Some companies have even reached several hundred billion in terms of revenue. These businesses will soon replace the largest revenue-generating businesses and will change the structure of traditional economy.

The vice president for science and technology affairs regarded the accelerated growth of startup and knowledge-based businesses a reflection of flourishing of innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem by increasing the awareness of the society regarding the importance of improving this ecosystem.

Start of Development with Flourishing of the “Ecosystem” 

The president of the national elites foundation introduced the innovation ecosystem as the initiator of creation and flourishing of businesses, adding: knowledge-based economy is summarized in the presence of new business environment. The necessity and primary basis of this environment is the sincere demand for creating such an environment by residents of the province with a great determination in order to maintain their children in the province to carry out entrepreneurial acts and return those who have emigrated from the province.

Idea Turns into Value by the Formation of a Potential Environment

According to the vice president for science and technology affairs, currently and especially after the revolution, education is financially supported more than any time in the history of the country. However, the golden time of prominent and history-making students will not be repeated. To solve this issue, we must establish a potential environment. If money were the first necessity for knowledge-based progress, countries with rich oil and financial resources would have had the highest science and technology ranks. Meanwhile, the reality shows something else.

The president of the biotechnology development headquarter considered the creation of added value from raw material the most important difference between knowledge-based view and raw-material-selling view.

From the culture of Traditional Entrepreneurship to Accelerators

Sattari emphasized the importance of attention to topics such as innovation and entrepreneurship, expressing: while there are 5,000 years of entrepreneurship and business in the history of Iran, the high dependence of oil-based economy in the past 100 years has led to neglecting an important part of concepts of this culture, namely the position of entrepreneurs and value of innovative human resources. As the most important step, we must restore the entrepreneurial position to the culture of society.

Sattari reminded the special attention paid to one of the strong pillars of flourishing knowledge-based economy by the Supreme Leader of the country, claiming: the kindness of the Supreme Leader is his attention and knowledge of problem-solving nature of ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship. He clearly supports entrepreneurship, innovation, knowledge-based companies and unique startups, and I pity those who are still in doubt of supporting knowledge-based economy despite the cooperation of the Supreme Leader with this area.

The vice president for science and technology affairs added: exemption from military services for key activists of knowledge-based companies has been turned into one of the articles of the law for support of this companies by the thoughts of the Supreme Leader, which has paved a new way for knowledge-based companies and startups.

Construction of Yazd Innovation Factory Is Initiated

At the end of the meeting, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Vice-Presidency, Special Economy Zone of Yazd, municipality and science and technology park of the city with the goal of creating the innovation factory.

By signing this agreement, the path for using innovative ideas and improving the production of technological products and services by activists of knowledge-based businesses and startups will be paved according to the domestic needs of the province with the cooperation different provincial sectors, including the municipality, science and technology park, and Special Economic Zone of Yazd.

By completing various phases of the project in one of the abandoned placed of Yazd, startup and knowledge-based businesses in the field of strategic technologies, as well as creative, service and tourism industries will be based in Yazd Innovation Factory and will find their way to enter the business market after passing the acceleration and growth processes.