Vice president: 3,700 NTBFS operating in Iran
Atotal of 3,700 new technology-based firms (NTBF) are companies are operating across Iran and this number is increasing daily, particularly in big provinces, said Iran’s vice president for science and technology in the central Iranian city of Arak on Tuesday evening.
Sorena Sattari added that in the year to March 2018, Iranian NTBFS sold products valued at more than $13.33 billion which is a great honor for domestic production, IRNA reported. He called for relying on domestic capacities to stimulate production, boost entrepreneurship and move away from a single-product and oildependent economy.
Sattari said that by relying on oil revenues calculated at $60 per barrel, the domestic economy will not become dynamic, adding further investment is required in research and technology sectors and putting ideas into practice.
He noted that economic growth is not achieved by exporting oil, but by developing NTBFS, boosting entrepreneurship and making personal investment which will lead to an increase in domestic economic indices and job creation.
Sattari said the officials and managers of executive organizations are duty-bound to create positive trade and business environment in Iranian provinces to enable the young generation to advance creativity and help prepare the ground for all-out development.
He said a positive and dynamic business atmosphere can be created by attracting domestic and foreign investment. Oil revenues, he said, should not be used in this process because if oil money is used to encourage entrepreneurship, huge challenges will be encountered within a short period.
Surviving from the period of sanctions will only be possible by relying on domestic capabilities and capacities and, in particular, developing Iranian NTBFS, he noted.
Sattari said the number of Internet users in Iran stands at 47 million, which is higher than half of the entire figure for the entire Middle East, adding the Middle East’s biggest nanotechnology companies are in Iran.