TEHRAN –In a meeting held at Iran's headquarters for the development of nanotechnology on Friday, Pakistan asked for establishing a joint research institute of nanotechnology and biotechnology.

The chairman of Pakistan's Lahore University, Awais Raoof, and the nano-technology innovation council’s director for international affairs, Mohammad Baqeri-Motlaq, discussed the potential for developing cooperation between the two countries, ISNA reported.

The Pakistani official expressed interest in starting a nano-technology center at Lahore University.

Baqeri-Motlaq, for his part, presented a report on Iran's advancements and achievements in nanotechnology, focusing on educational activities and joint scientific cooperation.

The official went on to suggest conducting collaborative research, publishing joint scientific articles in Iranian journals, as well as holding workshops, training courses, and scientific conferences.

Moreover, he proposed signing a memorandum of understanding, which was welcomed by Raoof.

Visiting Iran-made nano-tech products, Raoof stressed that Pakistan is mainly interested in cooperation in nanomedicine and military fields.

Expanding scientific ties

“The main challenges in the development of Islamabad–Tehran relations have been overcome and the two countries are ready to boost ties in higher education, science, and technology,” the chairman of Pakistan's higher education commission has said.

A delegation of Pakistani academic members headed by Mukhtar Ahmed visited Iran's House of Innovation and Technology (iHiT) on January 15, IRNA reported.

Iran and Pakistan, while expressing willingness to expand cooperation, highlighted the importance of enhancing scientific relations.

“Iran is ready to cooperate with Pakistan in technological fields. Information and communication technology, agriculture, and health are among the fields in which the two countries can boost cooperation,” Amir-Hossein Mir-Abadi, an official with the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology said in a meeting with Mukhtar Ahmed, ISNA reported.

Ahmed, for his part, said that Iran and Pakistan are confronting similar problems and challenges; these common issues can lay the basis for boosting mutual relations and cooperation. “Pakistan is interested in cooperating and interacting with Iran in scientific and technological fields.”

The Pakistani official went on to say that the sanctions have made Iran more successful in scientific fields.

Exchanging academic staff including professors and students and conducting joint projects can be among other options of cooperation between Iran and Pakistan, he added.

Talking about setting up national pavilions in different countries, Ahmed said Pakistan is ready to hold Iranian pavilions, too.

He hoped that the bilateral cooperation would be extended into regional cooperation including other countries such as India and Bangladesh.

Nano-tech products

One of the industries that have experienced good growth in Iran in recent years, proving the country’s scientific development, is the nanotechnology industry, a subject area that has brought Iran to the world’s fourth place.

Nanotech products are exported to countries from five continents.

Some 358 companies are operating in the field of nanotechnology in the country and 1608 products and equipment have received nanotechnology certificates.

Over the past year (ended March 20), the total sales of Iranian nanoproducts were equal to 115 trillion rials (nearly $425 million).

The expansion of nanotechnology export programs in recent years and the establishment of bases for exporting nanotechnology products to China, India, Indonesia, Syria, Turkey, and Iraq have provided the opportunity for the entry of Iranian nanotechnology goods, equipment, and services into global markets.

Some 42 percent of the products in this field are related to construction, more than 17 percent to the field of oil, gas, and petrochemicals, 13 percent to the field of automobiles, and over 10 percent to the field of optoelectronics.

In June 2023, Vice President for Science and Technology, Sourena Sattari, announced, “Some 270 companies are active in the nanotechnology field and it is predicted that their revenue will reach up to 80 trillion rials (nearly $310 million).

Iran’s ranking in nanotechnology articles citation in 2019 significantly improved compared to 2018, as it moved 26 levels higher, according to StatNano’s statistics collected from the WoS database.

Based on a report Nanotechnology Publications report, Iran ranked 38 worldwide for the average number of times the nano-articles have been cited in the Journal Citation Reports in 2019, while in 2018, it was placed 64.

It also ranked 4th for the highest number of nano-article publications.

MT/ MG