Supporting and helping develop more than 880 tech cores and institutes during Yazd Science and Technology Park's 17 years of activities
On the sidelines of the unveiling ceremony of 10 top tech products of Yazd Province—which was held on Sunday, February 3, at the Eqbal technology center and attended by Daliri, deputy head of the management development and investment attraction department of the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology; Zeinivand, deputy head of the economic affairs coordination and resources development department of Yazd Governorate; and a number of provincial managers—Darioush Pourserajian, director of Yazd Science and Technology Park, commemorated the Ten-Day Dawn and extended his congratulations on the 40th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution. He also briefed the participants on the activities of Yazd Science and Technology Park over the past 17 years.
According to the public relations office of Yazd Science and Technology Park, he said at the meeting that Yazd Science and Technology Park started its activities in Yazd in July-August 2001 after the establishment of Isfahan Science and Technology Town.
He said, “In 2014/15, we started implementing the fourth development plan and the park’s vision in this document was to help develop the field of technology and become one of the top three parks in the country and the top 10 parks in the region.”
He said enhancing the quality of the institutions, improving the infrastructure, and increasing the participation and role of the park at national and international levels are the strategic goals of this entity. “The development structure of the Yazd park include three parts: technology campuses, cooperation technology entities, and support and promotion bodies.”
Pourserajian added, “Currently, three major campuses, namely the information and communications campus, the biotechnology and advanced industrial systems campus, and the human sciences and arts campus, are active and form part of the cooperation-based tech entities of the park’s management.”
He said currently 262 tech companies at various stages of pre-acceleration, acceleration, and post-acceleration are either based in the Yazd park or are waiting to start their activities there. “The most important achievements of Yazd Science and Technology Park during 17 years of activities include supporting and helping develop 880 tech cores and institutes, creating sustainable jobs for at least 1,500 scientific elites, graduates, and entrepreneurs in the province, creating the country’s first research and technology fund in 2004/05, the fund being chosen as the country’s top fund in 2016/17 and 2017/18, concentrating on increasing international activities through the establishment of technology exchange offices in Georgia and Oman and development of plans to expand these offices into East Asia and North America,” he noted.
He said the country’s first innovation center was launched in the Yazd park in 2004/05 and so far 730 innovative initiatives have been supported by this center. “The intellectual property office as the authority in charge of evaluating the province’s inventions began its activities in 2009/10 and has so far scientifically approved more than 200 inventions,” he added.
Pourserajian said, “Fourteen festivals have been held by the Yazd park to present top ideas and the park’s track record also include holding eight student innovation competitions in cooperation with the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology and the Ministry of Education.
The director of Yazd Science and Technology Park said the park’s activities include carrying out studies to establish the first zone dedicated to science and technology in the country and the subsequent launch of this complex in cooperation with provincial and state officials. “Other measures taken by the park include establishing the province’s technology development association with the aim of gaining support from philanthropists in the field of technology and expanding the area provided to tech companies.”