TEHRAN – The national document for the development of advanced material science and technology was unveiled on Tuesday.

Approved by the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution in the last month of the Iranian year 1403 (March 2024 – March 2025), President Masoud Pezeshkian signed and declared the document on December 25, 2025, IRNA reported.

The national document acts as a comprehensive roadmap for the promotion of advanced materials in the country. It aims to improve Iran’s position in the global science and technology arena and contributes to achieving sustainable development goals.

Improving the country’s ranking in science and technology, particularly advanced materials and modern techniques for materials processing, enhancing the export of knowledge-based products in advanced materials sector, boosting productivity and lowering environmental impacts of Iranian-made products, improving the quality of life and enhancing social impact, completing the value chain with an approach to reducing raw material sales are among the main objectives of the document.

“It is the first comprehensive scientific document in the field of advanced materials; it lays the foundation for the development of other documents such as quantum and artificial intelligence (AI),” IRNA quoted Ali-Baqer Taherinia, an official with the  Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, as saying.

Highlighting the growing importance of advanced materials sciences and technology in the economic, health, nutrition, and other sectors, the official expressed hope that the implementation of the document would be beneficial to the country as it plays a critical role in gross domestic product (GDP) and sustainable development.

Given the country’s progress in publishing scientific articles in advanced materials and modern techniques for materials processing, proper management is essential for the country to gain a meaningful share of the advanced materials market.

The Vice-Presidency for Science, Research, and Technology will put the document into force, Taherinia further noted.

Iran ranks 72 in technology, innovation

According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Technology and Innovation Report 2025, Iran is ranked among upper middle-income countries, ranking 72nd among 166 countries.

The country’s ranking has improved by one position compared to 2022.

UNCTAD has categorized 17 types of technologies as frontier technologies, including artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, big data, 5G, 3D printing, robotics, drone technology, solar photovoltaic, concentrated solar power, biofuels, biogas and biomass, wind energy, green hydrogen, electric vehicles, nanotechnology, and gene editing.

The Technology and Innovation Report 2025: Inclusive Artificial Intelligence for Development surveys the complex artificial intelligence landscape, aiming to help decision-makers design science, technology, and innovation policies that foster inclusive technological progress.

The Report 2025 calls for AI that puts people first and is shaped through global cooperation in which all countries have a say. The Report identifies three key leverage points – infrastructure, data, and skills – offering a broad socioeconomic perspective on AI while analyzing requirements and policies to promote sustainable industrialization and innovation.

The sub-indices of readiness for frontier technologies in 2025 show that Iran’s best ranking is in the research and development sub-index (35th in the world).

In the finance sub-index, the country’s ranking has improved from 62 in 2022 to 56 in 2025. In other sub-indexes like skills and the establishment of information and communication technology, its ranking has lowered from 74 and 78 in 2022 to 82 and 94 in 2025, respectively.