With the nanoparticle size of plant extracts, some of their potential properties have been realized and some of the useful properties have been significantly increased, Mehdi Ahmadi, CEO of a knowledge-based company said.

For example, the antibacterial properties of some nano-extracts increased by 10-folds. Reducing the particle size to the nanoscale increases their penetration depth. Therefore, we formulated 30 types of plant extracts, he explained.

“We are looking for industrial application of these nanostructures. We recently introduced one of our formulations that could increase the shelf life of protein products,” he stated.

Nanotechnology, with its transdisciplinary nature, has broken the boundaries of various sciences and provided the basis to increase the quality of life. Therefore, the private sector, with the support of the Nanotechnology Innovation Council and InnoTEN, seeks to support projects and commercialize the products.

Nanotechnology improvement

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.

Currently, nanotech products are produced and marketed in more than 15 industrial fields based on domestic technologies and are being exported to 49 countries from five continents.

Nanotech products are manufactured in more than 15 industrial fields, being exported to 49 countries. Over the past year (ended March 20), the total sale of Iranian nanoproducts has been equal to 115 trillion rials (nearly $425 million).

The expansion of nanotechnology export programs in recent years and the establishment of bases for exporting nanoproducts to China, India, Indonesia, Syria, Turkey, and Iraq have provided the opportunity for the entry of Iranian nanotechnology goods and 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 optoelectronic.

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), Vice President for Science and Technology, Sourena Sattari, announced.

Iran’s ranking in nanotechnology articles citation in 2019 has significantly improved compared to 2018, as it moved 26 levels higher, according to the 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.

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A joint cooperation agreement was signed on Sunday between Deputy Labor Minister Mahmoud Karimi Biranvand, and secretary of the Nanotechnology Innovation Council, Saeed Sarkar.

Under the agreement, the two organizations will commit to using each other’s capacities to promote employment in the country through nanotechnology. In addition to the benefit of private nano-sector companies from the facilities provided, the possibility of developing the domestic market as well as the export market of nano-products.

It also contributes to sustainable employment and the path of job creation can be provided towards the use of university graduates and the development of knowledge-based businesses active in the nanotechnology sector. It is also possible to prevent the migration of graduates by creating a suitable business environment in the country.

The agreement seeks to support companies that have the potential to produce nano products.

Identifying, evaluating, and introducing competent technological projects to the Ministry of Labor, implementing empowerment programs for companies to enter the semi-industrial or industrial production stage, assisting the development of the domestic and foreign market, providing incentives to export products, empowering and creating employment for university graduates to reduce elite migration, providing consulting services to qualified applicants, are among the responsibilities of the Nanotechnology Council.

Unemployment hits lowest rate in 25 years

According to the Statistical Center of Iran (SCI), the unemployment rate for people aged 15 and above fell to 8.9 percent this fall (September 23-December 21, 2021), recording the lowest rate in 25 years.

Accordingly, 63.1 million of the country’s population are in the age group of 15 years and older, 40.9 percent of whom, equal to 25.8 million people, have been economically active, i.e. they are in the group of employed or unemployed.

An examination of the changes in the economic participation rate shows a 0.5 percent decline compared to the same period last year.

The SCI said the figure was the lowest on record for Iran’s labor market since 1996 although it insisted that a lower jobless rate did not necessarily mean that Iran had created more jobs over the past year.

“This declining trend does not mean more employment but it is due to the spread of the coronavirus disease which has caused many young adults to leave the labor market after failing to find a proper job,” said the report.

“We are witnessing a reduction in active population and as a result, the jobless rate has been declining,” it added.

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Of the 750 products and equipment registered in the nanotechnology product database, 535 were related to nano-products and 215 were related to nano-equipment, both of which have experienced a growing trend over the past few years, although nano-products have grown more significantly.

The field of “civil engineering and construction” with 20 percent had the largest share among nano products and equipment, followed by “medicine, health” and “industrial services and supplies” each with 13 percent.

Iran has been introduced as the 4th leading country in the world in the field of nanotechnology, publishing 11,546 scientific articles in 2020.

The country held a 6 percent share of the world’s total nanotechnology articles, according to StatNano’s monthly evaluation accomplished in WoS databases.

Iran ranked 43rd among the 100 most vibrant clusters of science and technology (S&T) worldwide for the third consecutive year, according to the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2020 report.

The country experienced a three-level improvement compared to 2019.

Sourena Sattari, vice president for science and technology, has said that Iran is playing the leading role in the region in the fields of fintech, ICT, stem cell, aerospace, and is unrivaled in artificial intelligence.

Iranian nanotechnology companies have increased sales by 100 percent over the Iranian calendar year 1398 (March 2019-March 2020), and it is predicted that their revenue will reach up to 80 trillion rials (nearly $1.9 billion at the official rate of 42,000 rials), Sattari announced.

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.

Sattari told the Tehran Times in October 2020 that “U.S. sanctions caused exports of knowledge-based companies to decline three years ago, however, it has returned to growth and is projected to reach the pre-sanctions level of more than $1 billion by the end of the current [Iranian calendar] year (March 20, 2021).

Fortunately, last year, companies achieved a record sale of 1.2 quadrillion rials (nearly $28.5 billion), which is expected to increase by 40 percent this year.”

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According to the Statnano portal, the number of registered nanotechnology patents by Iran in Europe and the US has grown by 68% in 2018.

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