TEHRAN – The 15th International Innovation and Technology Exhibition (INOTEX 2026) is planned to be held in Tehran from May 20 to 23.

Held annually by Pardis Technology Park, INOTEX, the largest innovation hub in West Asia, offers international companies a realistic, practical gateway to explore opportunities in Iran and the region.

Themed ‘Innovation Ecosystem, Under One Roof’, the event's main objectives include strengthening ties among key players in the innovation ecosystem, attracting investment, showcasing new investment opportunities for start-ups and knowledge-based companies, creating extensive networking opportunities, and presenting specialized educational content.

The exhibition will feature the achievements and services of firms and start-ups, as well as specialized and B2B meetings, educational workshops, and start-up competitions. Participants from all over the country can attend the event online, as well, ISNA reported.

Focusing on science, technology, and innovation ecosystems, the exhibition convenes businesspersons, technologists, industrialists, and researchers. The event aims to facilitate partnerships and provide various insights on the latest global competitive prices, quality standards, developments, scientific findings, and economic-technological ideas.

To this end, INOTEX has been organized since 2012 to serve the following objectives:

1. Investment: Connecting investors to the participants.

2. Partnership: Facilitating collaboration between technology companies and startups.

3. Networking: Facilitating communication and interaction between different components of the start-up ecosystem.

Iran ranks 72 in technology and 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.

MT/MG