According to IDEA, Today, on the fifth of Shahrivar (August 27th), a press conference was held for the National Next Technology Award at the Office of the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology, with the presence of Rouhollah Dehghani Firoozabadi,the Vice President for Science and Technology. In the recent gathering, Shaghayegh Haqju, the acting head of the Center for Strategic Technology Development, elaborated on the objectives of the National Next Technology Award.
Ehsan Yazdian, the Deputy for Technology Development at Isfahan Science and Technology Town, who is responsible for organizing this event, also attended the conference.
During this event, the top three ranks in each field with three innovative products will receive cash prizes worth billions of tomans from the Office of the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology. According to Yazdian, the first-place winner will receive five billion tomans, the second-place winner will receive three billion tomans, and the third-place winner will receive two billion tomans, each accompanied by significant facilitation funds.
Yazdian also mentioned that the target audience for this award is companies that have already proven their technological maturity and demonstrated themselves in the market.
He stated the eligibility criteria for participating companies as follows: “These companies must be able to present at least three technological products in the market. They must have a minimum turnover of five billion tomans, an organized organizational structure, and the submitted proposals must be aligned with the award’s themes year after year.”
He further emphasized, “The ideas of the participants must be both executable and innovative.”
Objectives of the Next Technology Award
Haqju, the acting head of the Center for Strategic Technology Development, initially explained, “One of the most important tasks for the Office of the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology and the Knowledge-based Economy of the Presidency is to contribute to increasing the role of knowledge entrepreneurship in the country’s economy and industry, making the country’s economy resilient, popularizing technology development, enhancing the productivity and competitiveness of the country’s industry, and elevating the complexity index of the country’s economy.”
Continuing, he described the necessary requirements for achieving the above objectives as follows: ‘Human capital and enhancement of the technological ecosystem infrastructure of the country, empowering knowledge-based companies, improving the financial support system for these initiatives, and increasing the capability and diversity of the country’s export products. To achieve all of these, a new vision for capable companies is essential.’
Emphasizing the improvement of the country’s economic and business conditions, he stated, ‘For the achievement of economic progress, an award named the National Next Technology Award has been introduced.’
Haqju further explained that the term ‘Next’ encapsulates the keywords of innovation, entrepreneurship, excellence, and development.
Ehsan Yazdian, the Deputy for Technology Development at Isfahan Science and Technology Town, described the objectives of the Next National Technology Award as follows: ‘Enhancing the capabilities of technology companies, aiding mature companies in expanding their product portfolio, which is, in fact, a key point of holding this event, as we believe the country’s progress lies in these mature companies venturing into innovative emerging technology areas. Encouraging industries to meet their needs through innovative technologies, and finally, promoting competitiveness and shaping competition among the country’s industries.’
The topics eligible for participation in the National Next Technology Prize
Regarding the eligible topics for participation in the National Next Technology Award, Yazdian stated: ‘Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and the Fourth Industrial Revolution are the main subjects, each having its own subcategories. Cyber defense, decision-making management, generative AI, trustworthy AI, virtual agents, and reinforcement learning, as well as machine vision, are micro-issues within these subjects.’
According to Yazdian, each category will have three winners, and the first-place winner will receive a cash prize of five billion tomans and facilities of 15 billion tomans, the second-place winner will receive a cash prize of three billion tomans and facilities of nine billion tomans, and the third-place winner will receive a cash prize of two billion tomans and facilities of six billion tomans.
In conclusion, Dehghani Firoozabadi, the Vice President for Science and Technology, stated, ‘One of the serious matters that the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology is focusing on in this period is the issue of balancing and proportioning innovative support. All events and activities in this area share a common goal: to provide balanced and appropriate support to the entire ecosystem of science, technology, and knowledge-based economy in the country. This support can be examined from two angles: the size and dimensions of companies, and the time aspect. Whether the companies are startups, medium-sized companies, or large corporations, specific planning has been designed for each.
He further explained that based on the challenges companies have faced in the past and present, other plans will be considered.
The call for this event continues until the 31st of Shahrivar (September 22nd). The judging of the participants will also be conducted until the 30th of Aban month (November 21st). The approximate date of the event has been mentioned in Azar (November-December), but the exact date of the event has not yet been determined.
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