Pardis Technology Park has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) to enhance collaboration in areas such as vocational training, technology sharing, and fostering research and innovation.
The agreement was signed on the sidelines of President Masoud Pezeshkian's two-day visit to Pakistan, which started on August 2, The Caspian Post reports citing Iranian media.
The MOU aims to strengthen technological collaborations, promote research and innovation in fields of common interest, and foster joint efforts among organizations, institutions, and high-tech research centers of the two countries.
It is centered around various sectors such as biotechnology, environmental protection technologies, nanotechnology, and advanced materials engineering, industrial and manufacturing technologies, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, medicinal plants, medical equipment, energy, and renewable energy sources, as well as electronics.
It also focuses on the establishment of science and technology parks, tech-hubs, start-ups, innovation acceleration centers, and the promotion of entrepreneurship and venture capital.
Knowledge-sharing in high-tech companies, market research for advanced products, and market access in respective countries are among other parts of the MOU.
Tehran, Islamabad to boost scientific ties
In April, Iran’s deputy science minister, Abolfazl Vahedi, and Pakistan’s Science Minister, Khalid Hussain Magsi, discussed ways to develop collaborations between universities of the two countries.
The officials met on the sidelines of the first International Conference on Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI): Catalysts for Regional Connectivity and Sustainable Development in the ECO Region (ECONEX 2025), on April 17-18, held in Islamabad, Pakistan, IRNA reported.
The meeting centered around benefiting from the academic engagement of the two countries to further scientific and research interactions among students and professors.
Vahedi also invited the Pakistani official to participate in the second ministerial meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)-15 Dialogue Platform hosted by Tehran.
The first International Conference on STI was jointly organized by the ECO Science Foundation, the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, and the ECO Secretariat.
In 2024, a delegation of Pakistani academic members headed by Mukhtar Ahmed, the chairman of Pakistan’s higher education commission, visited Iran’s House of Innovation and Technology (iHiT) on January 15, IRNA reported.
“The main challenges in the development of Islamabad-Tehran relations have been overcome, and the two countries are ready to boost further ties in higher education, science, and technology,” the Pakistani official said.
Mukhtar Ahmed, in a meeting with Amir-Hossein Mir-Abadi, the former head of the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology’s center for international affairs, said Iran and Pakistan are confronting similar problems and challenges; these common issues can lay the basis for boosting mutual relations and cooperation. “Pakistan is interested in cooperating and interacting with Iran in scientific and technological fields,” he added.
Exchanging academic staff, including professors and students, and conducting joint projects were among the main options to expand cooperation between Iran and Pakistan.
Talking about setting up national pavilions in different countries, Ahmed said Pakistan is ready to hold Iranian pavilions, too.
He hoped that the bilateral cooperation would be extended into regional cooperation, including other countries such as India and Bangladesh.
For his part, Mir-Abadi said, “Iran is ready to cooperate with Pakistan in technological fields. Information and communication technology, agriculture, and health are among the fields in which the two countries can boost cooperation.”
