According to the Communication and Information Center in the Vice Presidency of Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy, Dr. Dehghani announced this in the press conference "Introduction of the new evaluation and support system for knowledge-based companies and institutions" held on Monday at the building of the Vice-Presidency of Science, and noted that the new period of support and development of knowledge-based companies is based on making these companies play a role in the economy and life of the society. The activities of the Vice Presidency of Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy were defined during the last decade under the Law on the Support of Knowledge-Based Companies and Institutions approved in 2010, and after a decade of the implementation of this law, a revolutionary approach and the definition of a new mechanism to evaluate and support these companies seemed necessary. Based on this, the new regulations for the evaluation and support of knowledge-based companies and institutions, based on Article (3) of the executive regulations of the Law on the Support of Knowledge-Based Companies and Institutions and the Commercialization of Innovations and Inventions, were approved by the "Permanent Working Group of the Steering Council of Knowledge-Based Technologies and Products" on May 8, 2023.

He stated that if at the beginning there were 50 knowledge-based companies in the technology and innovation ecosystem of the country, today nearly 9 thousand knowledge-based companies are playing a role in the field of knowledge-based economy. The formulation of the new evaluation system for knowledge-based companies was based on the experiences gained from a decade of implementing the law to support knowledge-based companies and with six months of intensive study, and during this process, the views and opinions of experts of 100 capable, experienced and influential companies were received along with the views and suggestions of thinkers and experts in this field. In the new evaluation system of knowledge-based companies, with a new approach and attitude, while covering the weaknesses of the previous system, new headings and strategies should be defined according to the characteristics of the ecosystem of the knowledge-based economy in order to increase the role of knowledge-based companies in the economy and the evolution of society.

The Vice President of Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy considered the most important feature of the new evaluation system to be serious attention to the effectiveness and growth rate of companies and added: The ruling spirit of the evaluation regulations is not to judge technology based on its high level and complexity. Although technological complexity is still considered a very important element in evaluating companies, in the new approach, knowledge-based products, services, and processes are also evaluated. Knowledge base is not limited to technology and the level of influence in certain dimensions and size will be the criterion for evaluating and supporting the company.

Dehghani stated that the support is defined according to the needs of each category of knowledge-based companies and in a balanced manner, and continued: In the form of this evaluation system, knowledge-based companies based on the indicators of "production stage", "technology level" and "mastery of technical knowledge" in the three categories of start-up, technology and innovation companies will receive classification and support according to each of these three categories.

The Vice President of Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy stated: Companies active in the field of research, design and development of technological goods and services that have not yet reached sufficient maturity in terms of business and economics, if they manufacture at least one product on a laboratory sample scale in accordance with the list of knowledge-based goods and services, provided that they have all the criteria mentioned for knowledge-based goods and services, and if the company's operating income in the last tax return is less than 50 billion Rials, and the company has also presented its growth plan and in the evaluation process is approved by the secretariat, they are known as new knowledge-based companies. Currently, 80% of knowledge-based companies are startups.

He pointed out: companies active in the field of production and development of technological and innovative goods and services that have reached sufficient maturity in terms of business and economics, in case of commercial production of at least one knowledge-based product/service, subject to having all the criteria of knowledge-based products and services, having an operating income of more than 50 billion Rials, a share of less than 50% of the company's sales of knowledge-based goods/services from the company's total sales, in case of presenting its own growth plan and annual approval of the program progress report by the secretariat as knowledge-based companies are known as innovators. Currently, 13% of knowledge-based companies (1,174 companies) are in this category.

Dehghani added: Companies active in the field of production and development of technological goods and services that have achieved sufficient maturity in terms of business and economics, in case of commercial production of at least one knowledge-based product/service, subject to having all the criteria of knowledge-based goods and services, having an operating income of more than 50 billion Rials, having at least 10 full-time insured employees, a share of at least 50% of the company's knowledge-based goods/services sales from the total sales, in case of submitting their own growth plan and annual approval of the progress report of the program is known as a knowledge-based technology company. Currently, about seven percent of knowledge-based companies (593 companies) are in this category.

The head of the National Elites Foundation considered the creation of communication and interaction between the value chains in the knowledge-based economy as the most important approach of the new regulations for evaluating and supporting knowledge-based companies and added: One of the things considered in the new regulations is to design the game in such a way that the links of this chain are connected. On the basis of this regulation, the ground has been provided for the connection of scientific circles, including universities and research and research centers, with start-up knowledge-based companies. Also, the chain of start-up knowledge-based companies is connected to innovative knowledge-based companies, and this chain evolves with the connection of innovative companies to technological companies until the connection with the leading and large companies of the country. The connection of these circles will lead to the evolution of the value chain and finally we will see a real connection between the university and the country's research sector in the field of economy and society.

Dehghani stated that the level of influence and growth is one of the main criteria of the new system of evaluation of knowledge bases, and continued: Since the evaluation is based on the growth rate and size of the companies, an environment of competition is formed between the companies for development, while it creates the motivation and effort necessary to solve the needs of the society in them. Some knowledge-based companies operate in specific fields of technology that are responsible for a specific mission; For example, they are active in lifting the embargo, providing a strategic effective material and eliminating the need for imports, and the criteria for evaluating these companies, which may not have a public market, is not just sales and economic value. These companies are supported according to their mission and activities.

Referring to the new approach in the process of examining and evaluating companies from agencies to qualified and trusted science and technology parks, the vice president of science, technology and knowledge-based economics said: In the new evaluation system, serious attention has been paid to the qualification and expertise of the evaluators, and the evaluator agents who sometimes did not have enough expertise and nobility will be replaced by trusted science and technology parks with expertise and experience. In this new evaluation process, Science and Technology Parks with the aforementioned features perform the evaluation process, but the approval process is still carried out by the Vice Presidency of Science. This makes the evaluation process of companies more accurate, faster and with better access.

Dehghani considered the necessity of balanced distribution and allocation of resources as one of the requirements observed in the new evaluation system of knowledge-based companies and added: the correct distribution of resources so that each company receives support according to its growth and needs was one of the priorities that was considered in the new evaluation system of companies. This intelligence, purposefulness and precision in allocating support helps companies to grow better.

The vice president of science, technology and knowledge-based economy, referring to the definite and complete allocation of tax exemption to start-up knowledge-based companies, added: In the new regulation, a start-up company can benefit from a tax exemption for knowledge-based products, which creates an incentive for newly established companies among academics, elites and specialists. For technology companies that have reached maturity and have a tax exemption limit, by allocating tax credit, it is compensatory that this credit be spent on research and development.

He stated that in the new evaluation system, national needs and priorities such as food security and agriculture, which have lower technological levels, have been taken into consideration, adding: Highlighting priority issues and increasing the number of products and services in that list encourages companies to step into this field and help meet the country's strategic needs. Accordingly, in the form of an attachment to the list of knowledge-based products and services, priority topics have also been added, and companies that work in those areas are considered knowledge-based.

Dehghani stated: Based on the goal setting in the knowledge-based ecosystem, we are trying to reach a seven percent growth rate of the national GDP. At the same time, we will realize a one percent annual increase in the gross national product. Also, achieve a 10% growth in knowledge-based products and services and a 1% annual reduction in the unemployment rate of graduates.

Continuing, he considered the initiation of the provincial knowledge-based economy program for the first time in the country and with the implementation of the pilot program in five provinces from this week as another step in the direction of popularizing the knowledge-based economy and added: based on this national program, all departments of the provinces, from the governor's office to science and technology parks, will play a role in the realization and growth of the indicators predicted in the national program of the provincial knowledge-based economy program. Cutting the native bio of prominent universities is another measure to help us reach the aforementioned goals of increasing the GDP, the unemployment rate of graduates, and knowledge-based products and services.

At the end, Dehghani pointed out that the executive regulations of the knowledge-based production jump law have been approved by the Ministry of Interior for 12 ministries and executive agencies, and continued: So far, the ministries of oil and energy have been ahead of other agencies in fulfilling their duties in supporting and smoothing the market of knowledge-based companies, and fortunately, the government is diligent in realizing this goal.