TEHRAN – Iranian knowledge-based companies showcased their capabilities during the 6th Technology Investment Conference (TIM) of the D-8 Technology Transfer and Exchange Network (D-8 TTEN) held in Malaysia.
According to IRIB, they also actively participated in technical conferences in the field of innovation and technology.
The D-8 includes major Muslim developing countries such as Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey.
Key areas of cooperation among member states include finance, banking, rural development, science and technology, humanitarian development, agriculture, energy, environment and health.
The 6th TIM Conference was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 12-13 August, in conjunction with the Malaysian Commercialisation Year (MCY) Summit.
The objective of the D8 Economic Cooperation Organization is to improve the position of developing countries in the world economy, diversify trade relations and create new opportunities, strengthen their participation in decision-making at the international level and provide them with better standards of living.
The 5th Technology Investment Conference was held in Tehran on February 26-27, 2023, and was attended by the Group of Eight Islamic Developing Countries.
TIM 2023 aimed to attract capital to accelerate knowledge-based companies and startups and also attract investors from D-8 member states.
TIM 2023 was attended by around 105 knowledge-based companies, startups and technology centres from Iran, Turkey, Armenia, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Kenya, as well as 52 investors and business delegations from Iran, Turkey, Armenia, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Syria, Afghanistan, Kenya and Guinea.
Delegations from Mongolia, China, Ukraine and Canada participated in the event online.
Knowledge-based growth
The number of knowledge-based enterprises has grown significantly and rapidly, increasing by more than 200% in the past year alone (March 2023-March 2024), indicating a strong foundation, dynamism, growth and a productive atmosphere in innovation and technology in the country, in line with the goal of expanding domestic production with people's participation.
The government of the late President Ebrahim Raisi placed emphasis on the quantitative and qualitative development of knowledge-based enterprises.
The number of companies, which was around 5,000 before the current administration took office in August 2021, has now reached 10,000, with a total value of $2 billion.
According to the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA), Iranian knowledge-intensive companies exported more than 3.6 million tons of products worth $2.506 billion in the last Iranian calendar year (ending March 19, 2024).
According to IRICA data, between March 21, 2023 and March 19, 2024, around 1.158 million tonnes of goods worth $5.141 billion were imported into the country by knowledge-intensive companies.
Around 85 percent of the goods imported by knowledge-intensive companies came from China, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Turkey, Germany and India, according to the Iranian News Agency.
According to IRICA, domestic knowledge-based companies exported their products to China, Iraq, the UAE, Turkey and Russia during the period.
MT/MG
