The Head of the Executive Board of the Innovation and Prosperity Fund, Dr Asghar Nourollahzadeh, and the adviser to the Secretary of the Supreme Council for Economic Coordination of the Heads of the Three Branches and Secretary of the Digital Economy and Artificial Intelligence Committee, Dr Mohammad-Taghi Aazarshab, have visited the Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (IASBS) to review its academic, research, and technological capacities. During their visit on Thursday, 3 September 2026, they discussed ways to develop technology and the knowledge-based economy, support and finance knowledge-based companies, and expand the infrastructure of the IASBS Science and Technology Park.

At the beginning of the meeting, the IASBS President, Prof Sadollah Nasiri Gheydari, welcomed those present and gave a report on the history of IASBS’s establishment, its educational, research, and technological capacities, and its academic standing nationally and internationally, before outlining some of the academic achievements and honours of its faculty members.

Noting the inclusion of the IASBS among the country’s top 10 and leading universities, the IASBS President described this standing as one of the institute’s important capacities and stressed the need to make effective use of its academic and specialist capabilities to address the country’s and the province’s issues and needs.

Prof Nasiri Gheydari then highlighted the development of the IASBS Science and Technology Park and support for knowledge-based companies. Referring to the challenges young companies face in securing financial resources and operational space, he stressed the need to provide suitable infrastructure for these companies to establish and expand their operations.

He also noted the interest of knowledge-based companies in establishing themselves in the park and the possibility of allocating land on a long-term basis. He stressed the effective use of the existing capacities and the design of solutions to provide the space required by technology-based and knowledge-based companies.

In another part of his remarks, the IASBS President highlighted the role of the IASBS and Professor Yousef Sobouti in enhancing the province’s academic standing. He said the scientific capacity built at IASBS could pave the way for the development of technological activities, the attraction of specialists, and new investment in the province.

Next, the Head of the IASBS Science and Technology Park, Dr Zamani, presented a report on the park’s status, existing capacities, and needs. According to the report, 70 units are currently based at the IASBS Science and Technology Park, 28 of which are knowledge-based companies, and the total recorded revenue of the companies based at the park was approximately 366 billion tomans during 2025–26.

Dr Zamani made reference to the shortage of space required by knowledge-based companies in the province and proposed establishing two or three buildings with a floor area of about 3,000 square metres. The creation of units ranging from 60 to 300 square metres and the use of the capacity of the province’s non-governmental Research and Technology Fund to finance implementation of the plan were also considered.

During the meeting, issues including providing working capital for knowledge-based companies, using tax capacities, production without a factory, facilitating the process of obtaining loans, and reforming guarantee and collateral arrangements were discussed. The need to strengthen support mechanisms and facilitate companies’ access to financial resources was also stressed.

The founder of IASBS, Professor Yousef Sobouti, also stressed the importance of the scientific method at the meeting. Drawing on Abu Rayhan al-Biruni’s scientific approach, he identified observation, measurement, experimentation, data analysis, and returning to observation as the main elements of this process. He stressed the need to turn this approach into a scientific habit in universities.

The founder of the IASBS also highlighted the institute’s scientific links during its early years with researchers and students from various countries, stressing the importance of international scientific interactions and exchanges, and the need to strengthen these links.

In another part of the meeting, the adviser to the Secretary of the Supreme Council for Economic Coordination of the Heads of the Three Branches and Secretary of the Digital Economy and Artificial Intelligence Committee, Dr Mohammad-Taqi Azarshab, highlighted the IASBS’s role in training researchers and specialists, as well as the institute’s capacity to contribute to emerging technology fields and the digital economy.

The adviser to the Secretary of the Supreme Council for Economic Coordination of the Heads of the Three Branches and Secretary of the Digital Economy and Artificial Intelligence Committee, Dr Mohammad-Taghi Aazarshab, stressed the need to use of IASBS’s academic and human resources, and those of its Science and Technology Park, to foster innovation and accelerate the development of the province’s digital economy.

Next, the Head of the Executive Board of the Innovation and Prosperity Fund, Dr Asghar Nourollahzadeh, stressed the need to move from science to technology and from technology to economic value, and described IASBS’s academic capacity as one of the important foundations for technological development in the province.

Dr Nourollahzadeh welcomed the proposals put forward for developing the IASBS Science and Technology Park’s infrastructure, announced the fund’s readiness to co-operate in this area, and said that raising the lending ceiling for related projects could be considered.

Other areas of focus for the Head of the Executive Board of the Innovation and Prosperity Fund included support for companies’ working capital, the use of tax capacities, production without a factory, and facilitating the evaluation and financing processes for knowledge-based companies.

The meeting also stressed the need to facilitate administrative and financial processes, reform guarantee and collateral arrangements, increase knowledge-based companies’ access to financial resources, and make more effective use of legal capacities to support technological activities.

The discussions at the meeting focused on strengthening the link between IASBS’s academic and research capacities and the development of technology and the knowledge-based economy. Developing the Science and Technology Park’s infrastructure, providing premises and financial resources for knowledge-based companies, and strengthening links between IASBS and institutions supporting technology were among the most important areas raised to achieve this aim.

At the end of the meeting, the founder of the IASBS, Professor Yousef Sobouti, was honoured for his years of work and effective role in shaping and developing the institute’s academic standing.

After the meeting, the delegation visited various sections of the IASBS Science and Technology Park. During the visit, they toured the exhibition stands of companies and technology units based at the park, and learned at close hand about their products, achievements, technological capacities, and areas of activity.

During the visit, representatives of companies based at the park also introduced their activities and achievements, and provided information about their existing capacities and needs for developing technological and knowledge-based activities.