Regional Center for Science Parks and Technology Incubators Development in Isfahan, Islamic Republic of Iran
Under the auspices of UNESCO
INTRODUCTION
In order to address the problems that are currently limiting the success of science parks and technology incubators in developing countries, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has proposed the creation of a Regional Centre for Science
Park and Technology Incubator Development in Iran, to be established under the auspices of UNESCO. The main emphasis of the work of the centre would be on facilitating the integration of a developmental approach into science, technology and innovation, organizing capacity building, providing policy advice, facilitating the exchange of experience and best practices, and conducting research and problem solving in science park and technology incubator development. The initial focus of this would be in issues related to countries in the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO): Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan, but it may have broader potential and take an international lead with time. Taking into consideration the potential importance of the centre for promoting science, technology and innovation for economic development, the Director-General of UNESCO responded positively to the request of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and requested that the Natural Sciences Sector conduct a feasibility study in close cooperation with Iranian experts. CONSIDERATION OF THE FEASIBILITY OF THE PROPOSED CENTRE
The development of science parks and technology incubators in the Islamic Republic of Iran was initiated in 1993. It is clear that science parks and technology incubators are an important component of the fourth Iranian National Development Plan, 2004-2009. By the beginning of May 2009, there were 22 science and technology parks and 61 technology incubators officially established in the country. A feasibility study was endeavored to address requirements specified in the integrated comprehensive strategy for category 2 institutes and centers under the auspices of UNESCO adopted by the 181st session of the Executive Board (181 EX/Decision 16) of UNESCO. It also took into account other aspects that are deemed useful for assessing the viability of the proposed centre. The field visit of the UNESCO team for the feasibility study related to the creation of the proposed centre was undertaken from 11 to 17 May 2009. A number of Iranian institutions were visited. The feasibility study of UNESCO also took into consideration the existing international organizations working on science parks development and NGOs in this field. Among the best known international and regional networks consulted were: the United Nations Industrial Organization (UNIDO), the World Association of Industrial and Technological Research Organizations (WAITRO), the World Technopolis Association (WTA), the International Association of Science Parks (IASP), the Asia Science Parks Association (ASPA) and the International Centre for South-South Cooperation on Science, Technology and Innovation (ISTIC). STATUS OF THE REGIONAL CENTRE
The centre was established as a category 2 centre. The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran ensured that the regional centre will be a public institution established under Iranian national legislation. The centre will create and implement its own programmes and activities. It is envisaged that in the initial phase of development (i.e., the first five years) the centre will operate from facilities within the Isfahan Science and Technology Town (ISTT) and be based largely upon the existing facilities and expertise of this institution. The President of ISTT would serve as interim director of the regional centre until the appointment of a permanent director, within a period of six months following approval of the proposal. Recruitment of a director, technical and support staff would commence shortly after approval of the proposal. The selection of candidates for these posts would be based primarily on those areas of science and technology that are important in the region. The structure of the centre:
Governance: The centre will have a Governing Board, an Executive Committee, and a Secretariat. (a) The Board of Governors, which will have the function of guiding the activities of the Regional Centre, will be comprised of a Chairperson from the Islamic Republic of Iran who will act as representative of the Government, representatives of UNESCO Member States wishing to participate in the center's activities and which have sent notification to the centre, and a UNESCO representative. The Governing Board will be endowed with the power needed to perform its functions, including approval of the mid- and long-term programmes and the annual reports of the centre. (b) The Executive Committee will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the centre. Its composition will be determined by the Board of Governor. (c) The Secretariat will be responsible for executing the day-to-day activities of the regional centre under the authority of the director of the centre, appointed by the Chairperson of the Governing Board in consultation with Director-General of UNESCO. The Ministry of Science, Research and Technology will serve as the responsible body for the regional centre and will coordinate all linkages of the centre with other ministries/departments of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Isfahan city government will be responsible for the logistical aspects of the centre. In the initial stage, the regional centre will cover the ECO countries. Consultations with these countries have been conducted by authorities from the Islamic Republic of Iran with a view to establishing terms of cooperation with the regional centre. The Centre shall be guided and supervised by a Governing Board, to be renewed every six years and composed of:
(a) a representative of the Government or his appointed representative who will act as Chairperson;
(b) three representatives from Member States that have sent to the Centre notification of membership, in accordance with the stipulations of Article 3, paragraph 2, above and have expressed interest in being represented on the Board;
(c) a representative of the Director-General of UNESCO.
2. The Governing Board shall:
(a) Approve the long-term and medium-term programmes of the Centre;
(b) Approve the annual work plan and budget of the Centre, including the staffing table;
(c) examine the annual reports submitted by the director of the Centre;
(d) issue the general rules and regulations and determine the financial, administrative and personnel management of the Centre;
(e) decide on the participation of regional intergovernmental organizations and international organizations in the work of the Centre.
3. The Governing Board shall meet in ordinary sessions at regular intervals, at least once every calendar year; it shall meet in extraordinary sessions if convened by its Chairperson, or at the request of the Director-General of UNESCO or a majority of its members.
4. The Governing Board shall adopt its own rules of procedure. For its first meeting the procedure shall be established by the Government and UNESCO. Executive Committee
The Executive Committee will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the Centre. Its composition will be determined by the Board of Governors. Secretariat
1. The Centre’s Secretariat shall consist of a Director and such staff as necessary for the proper functioning of the Centre.
2. The Director shall be appointed by the Chairperson of the Governing Board in consultation with the Director-General of UNESCO.
3. The other members of the secretariat may comprise:
(a) members of UNESCO’s staff who are temporarily seconded and made available to the Centre, as provided for in UNESCO’s regulations and by the decisions of its governing bodies;
(b) Any person appointed by the Director, in accordance with the procedures laid down by the Governing Board;
(c) Government officials who are made available to the Centre, as permitted by government regulations. CAPABILITY OF ISFAHAN CITY TO HOST THE REGIONAL CENTRE
Based on a comparative study between two Iranian cities, the UNESCO team of experts recommended Isfahan as the more appropriate place to host the proposed centre. There are several reasons for this recommendation: firstly, the city hosts Isfahan Science and Technology Town (ISTT), the oldest science park in the region; secondly, in terms of infrastructure, Isfahan has facilities which meet international standards to accommodate the activities of the centre including training workshops and conferences at national, regional and international levels. Isfahan is considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world and this is an added attraction in encouraging international participation in the events the centre is expected to organize; thirdly, the ISTT’s President proposed to host and guarantee the financing of the centre in its initial stages; lastly, the Minister of Science Research and Technology, the Governor of Isfahan Province and the Mayor of Isfahan, as well as the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO, have all expressed their support for the establishment of the regional centre in Isfahan. The centre will have its own office. In the initial stages, the centre will be hosted by ISTT, as the institution has the requisite financial and managerial capacities. ISTT has good working relations with other national and international institutions engaged in promoting science, technology and innovation for economic development, and has been playing an important role in developing awareness of the importance of science parks and technology incubators for knowledge-based economic development in Iran. In collaboration with UNESCO, IASP and ASPA, ISTT has already organized an international conference in 2006. Furthermore, since 2005, ISTT has been organizer of the Sheik Bahai Technopreneurship Festival on a yearly basis. Within this framework, it also runs a technology business innovation competition which attracts sponsorship from both the state and the private sector. There has been strong and clear commitment to this initiative by the Iranian Government, the science parks and technology incubators community, and academic staff and researchers. OBJECTIVES AND MODALITIES OF THE PROPOSED REGIONAL CENTRE
This centre will act as a regional platform for promoting the development of science parks and technology incubators in ECO countries. The basic activity of the centre is capacity-building and technical assistance in technopolis governance. Consultations have identified the overall goal of the proposed centre to be an increase in capacity for governance of science and technology parks throughout developing countries by:
(a) Conducting capacity-building. The centre will conduct regional training programmes, workshops, seminars and conferences for science park and technology incubator stakeholders
(b) Providing technical assistance. The centre will provide countries in the region with technical assistance in science park and technology incubator governance
(c) Facilitating knowledge transfer. (d) Supporting research. (e) Networking. The centre will facilitate network development, collaborative research and development (R&D) and training programmes at regional and international levels, which will include developing linkages to designated nodal centres in participating countries; and
(f) Information exchange and dissemination. The centre will promote information exchange and dissemination, including publishing books and journal articles on science parks and technology incubators. The priorities of the centre:
The priorities of the centre will include short-term training, workshops, exchange visits involving science and technology parks managers; collaborative research and development projects; and networking in knowledge-based economic development. Short-term programmes will cater to specific areas of interest in keeping with the needs and priorities identified. Contribution of UNESCO
1. UNESCO may provide assistance, as appropriate, in the form of technical assistance for the programme activities of the Centre, in accordance with the strategic goals and objectives of UNESCO.
2. UNESCO undertakes to:
(a) provide the assistance of its experts in the specialized fields of the Centre;
(b) engage in temporary staff exchanges, whereby the staff concerned will remain on the payroll of the dispatching organizations; and
(c) second members of its staff temporarily, as may be decided by the Director-General on an exceptional basis if justified by the implementation of a joint activity/project within a strategic programme priority area. Inauguration of the Center
The center will be officially inaugurated at 17:00 on Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 during a ceremony attended by UNESCO representatives, Ambassadors of ECO countries, representatives of a number of countries, Iranian authorities and Provincial authorities. The inauguration program will be announced soon.
