TEHRAN – Iran will open its third house of innovation and technology in the Syrian capital of Damascus with the aim of finding new markets for domestic technological and knowledge-based products, IRNA reported on Tuesday.

Exporting technological products of Iranian knowledge-based companies is one of the important and key programs of the vice presidency for science and technology, and in this regard, the first house of innovation and technology was inaugurated in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on January 27.

A house of innovation and technology has already been set up as a technology exchange office in China.

In this regard, the vice president for science and technology Sourena Sattari heading a delegation of 40 knowledge-based companies traveled to Syria.

During this trip, business meetings will be held between Iranian and Syrian companies to find an international market for the two countries’ technological products. In these meetings, a safe and secure path will be created for the development of export and technology transfer from Iranian knowledge-based companies, Parviz Karami, an official with the Vice Presidency said.

The signing of a memorandum of cooperation for the development of scientific, technological, and political relations between the two countries are among the other purposes of the trip, he added.

He went on to say that other memorandums will be signed with the aim of cooperation in the field of building and equipping nanotechnology, biotechnology, and hospital equipment laboratories.

The Syrian Arab Republic, given its favorable geographical location in West Asia and the eastern Mediterranean coast, is a proper ground for exports of Iranian knowledge-based companies so that special programs have been prepared to support the presence of Iranian knowledge-based firms in the region.

These sponsorships are implemented through the creation of an innovation and technology house and the provision of facilities such as permanent exhibitions, shared and private workspaces, meeting rooms, and services such as market research and local business partners.

By supporting innovative ideas, holding technological and innovative events, the centers will be a platform for the development and promotion of Iranian knowledge-based companies, startups, and creative industries.

Earlier in January, Ambassador of Syria to Tehran Shafiq Dayoub and Iranian Science Minister Mansour Gholami in a meeting in Tehran discussed ways to boost cooperation in the field of technology.

Setting up research laboratories, holding joint scientific conferences and seminars, boosting scientific skills training cooperation, exchanging students and professors as well as experiences, offering joint guidance of master’s and doctoral dissertations, and publishing scientific articles in journals of the two countries were among the fields of cooperation discussed at the meeting.

The Syrian official emphasized that the realization of scientific advances in the field of economy and, more importantly, the transfer of these valuable experiences must be considered by developing countries.

Currently, over 5,700 knowledge-based companies are active in the country, manufacturing diverse products to meet the needs of the domestic market while saving large amounts of foreign currency.

The fields of aircraft maintenance, steel, pharmaceuticals, and medical equipment, oil, and gas are among the sectors that researchers in technology companies have engaged in, leading to import reduction.

FB/MG