Head of Iran National Innovation Fund, Ali Vahdat, revealed the allocation of $33.3 million worth of funds for export of anti-coronavirus products of knowledge-based companies.

Speaking in an interview with IRNA on Mon., Ali Vahdat stated, “planning is underway for helping competent knowledge-based firms in the country for the second time to export their products abroad usable in the fight against coronavirus.”

It is hoped that giant step will be taken regarding export of knowledge-based products overseas, he added.

Supporting the Fund in this period is related to facilities of guarantee letter, working capital and also measures that should be taken in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade and Central Bank of Iran [CBI] for these knowledge-based companies to export their products in sanctions terms and conditions, he stressed.

In the current year named after ‘surge in production’, suitable ways have been provided for knowledge-based companies especially in coronavirus conditions to export their anti-corona products overseas, he continued.

He went on to say that financial support of the fund caused knowledge-based firms to produce products needed in the fight against coronavirus rapidly including medical equipment, disinfectants, face mask as well as other relevant equipment.

To support more knowledge-based firms in the country, Iran National Innovation Fund has launched the exhibition entitled “Surge in Production and Achievements Taken in Fight against Coronavirus” in the presence of 50 knowledge-based Firms”, he added.

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Iranian animated piece, ‘Eaten’ by Mohsen Rezapour will take part in three international film festivals.

The film is about life in a mysterious and unknown planet, a rabbit-like creature is eaten, but that’s not the end of the story.

The animation is set to go on screen at the 10th edition of Supertoon International Animation Festival in Croatia, the 14th edition of The Toronto Animated Image Society (TAIS) in Canada, and FluXus Animation Film Festival in the Netherlands.

Iranian animated piece has also taken part at the 27th Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film in Germany which was held on 5-10 May 2020.

All the festival will take place as online events due to coronavirus pandemic.

Supertoon International Animation Festival specializes in short animated films and takes place every summer in the Adriatic city of Šibenik, Croatia, turning the entire city into a bona fide open-air theater. Its 10th edition will unfold over five days, from 20th to 24th of July 2020, and screen, in competition, around 200 of the freshest, most interesting short animated films from around the world at Mala loža and Gorica open-air cinemas – with all the necessary precautions regarding the global Covid-19 pandemic and public gatherings.

The Toronto Animated Image Society (TAIS) is a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to exploring and promoting the art of independent animation through production, screenings, workshops and exhibitions.The focus of TAIS artistic vision is on offering artists at all stages of development the opportunity to show their work and access production resources so that they can contribute to the expanding boundaries of animation as a discipline through creation.

FluXus Animation Film Festival 2020 will take place in only one day. There will be multiple screenings for both children and adults, and the audience will vote for the best film.

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More than 50 knowledge-based companies and startups put their latest products and achievements to the public view at an exhibition entitled “Surge in Production and Achievements in Fight against Coronavirus” entitled “Coronatech 2020” on Saturday.

At the initiative taken by the Vie-Presidency for Science and Technology, the exhibition of “Coronatech 2020” kicked off its work at Tehran Permanent International Fairgrounds today.

Accordingly, knowledge-based companies and startups displayed their latest achievements at the exhibition of “Coronatech 2020” in the group of medical equipment, coronavirus diagnostic kits, raw materials of producing face masks, personal protection products, disinfectants [consumables and equipment] in the fight against COVID-19.

Companies producing homegrown coronavirus diagnostic kit, COVID-19, also participated in this exhibition.

This exhibition of “Coronatech 2020” will run for three days.

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Deputy Coordinator of Iranian Defense Ministry Brigadier General Saeed Shabanian said that the Islamic Republic will unveil some of its defense achievements on the National Defense Industry Day.

He made the remarks on Sat. and added that the Ministry of Defense will showcase defense achievements on various occasions before the end of the current year [March 20, 2021] to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Sacred Defense, one of which is related to unveiling defense achievements on the National Defense Industry Day.

Turning to organize the 40th anniversary of the Sacred Defense Week [Iraqi imposed war against Iran, 1980-1988] in the presence of Iran’s Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Bagheri, he said, “the Sacred Defense event is a turning point in the history of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

For this purpose, effective measures had been taken for better organizing the 40th anniversary of the Sacred Defense but the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, in the country overshadowed many of these activities which had already been planned for the event, Brigadier General Shabanian highlighted.

The National Defense Industry Day falls on August 22.

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A line up of 8 Iranian films will be competing in the Athens Marathon International Film Festival running online in the Greek city from June 12 to 21, 2020, the organizers have announced.

Iranian director Mehdi Fardqaderi’s drama “Weightlessness” is the only Iranian feature competing in the festival while the other seven are shorts.

“Weightlessness,” tells the story of a groom who has gone missing the day after his glittering wedding ceremony. The bride, the groom’s mother, the groom’s sister, and his lover who attends the wedding uninvited are all looking for him.

“Weightlessness” was crowned best at the 3rd Insolito International Horror and Fantasy Film Festival in the Peruvian capital of Lima in March.

The Iranian shorts are “Crusher” by Arshia Zeinali, “Azadeh” by Mirabbas Khosravinejad, “Game” by Ali Haddadi, “Hearing” by Saeed Rezai, and “Limit” by Javad Darai.

Also included are “Look at Me for a Moment” by Mohammad Gharibi and Reza Sheykhlani, as well as “Under the Blade” by Javid Farahani.

“Limit,” tells the story of a desperate man who frantically pleads with strangers to accompany him to his home, without being clear on his intentions.

“Limit” has been screened at numerous international events and has won awards at some of them, including the award for best short fiction at the 10th Southampton Film Week and the Bleedingham Horror Short Film Festival, as well as the award for best drama at the NCCC (Niagara County Community College) Film and Animation Festival in the U.S. state of New York.

T.T/

Iranian Parliament Research Center [IPRC] said that the three countries [including the United Arab Emirates [UAE], China and Iraq] accounted for about 54 percent share of Iran’s total value of non-oil goods in 2018.

There is a relatively strong focus on Iran’s export target markets in such a way that the aforementioned three countries accounted for about 54 percent of country’s total exports share value of non-oil goods, Head of Iranian Parliament Research Center Mohammad Ghasemi added.

According to IPRC, about 42 percent of Iran’s imports from 2018 to 2011 has been made from the three countries of China, UAE and South Korea while over 70 percent of products has been imported from 10 countries in the same period.

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Islamic Republic of Iran will be turned into the largest producer of raw materials of pharmaceuticals in the Middle East region in very near future.

Iranian Minister of Health and Medical Education Dr. Saeed Namaki made the remarks on Sun. and added, “benefited from high scientific capacity and capability of domestic scientists and materials needed to produce pharmaceuticals, Islamic Republic of Iran will be turned into the largest producer of pharmaceuticals in the Middle East region soon.”

Speaking in the inaugural ceremony of the first township of producing pharmaceutical’s raw materials in the Middle East region in Markazi province, Arak on Sunday through video conference, Namaki said, “despite cheap production of petrochemicals in Iran such as benzene, which is used in the production of intermediates for drug production, the country enjoys high capacity in producing raw materials of pharmaceuticals while these cheap raw materials are exported to the countries including India and China.”

Inauguration of the first township of producing raw materials of pharmaceuticals in the year named after ‘surge in production’ is a giant step taken by the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Namaki added.

This move has been taken at the condition that tough and cruel sanctions have been imposed by US against Iran, he added.

MA/

Caretaker of the Iranian Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade Hossein Modaress Khiabani said that his ministry has targeted exporting $10.5 billion worth of minerals in the current Iranian calendar year [started March 21, 2020].

Speaking in a meeting with members of the Board of Directors of Iranian Mine House on Wed., he expounded on the mineral policies taken in the Ministry of Industry in the current year named after ‘surge in production’ and added, “moving towards producing added-value products and strengthening exports in total steel chain are the main policy of the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade in the current year.”

A major part of 200 operational projects which would be inaugurated by 2021 is related to the mining and mineral sector, he said, adding, “a considerable portion of these projects would be put into operation by the yearend.”

Despite tough sanctions imposed against the country, huge development projects are being launched in this sector, he emphasized.

Activating small-scale and inactive mines in the country is one of the main policies taken by the Ministry of Industry in the mining and mineral sector.

Iran is home to 5,600 active mines which 400 million tons of minerals on average are extracted from annually, and about 60 to 65 percent of the extracted minerals is related to the construction materials, caretaker of the Ministry of Industry highlighted.

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Iran’s cultural centers in Kazakhstan and Serbia will commemorate the 31st death anniversary of Imam Khomeini by organizing exhibitions of photos of the founder of the Islamic Republic.

Both of the exhibitions will be online on the websites of the cultural centers, Iran’s Islamic Cultural Relations Organization (ICRO) announced on Sunday.

The exhibition in Serbia named “Separation from the Friend” opened on Saturday.

The showcase displaying over 100 photos throws the spotlight on his family life, official meetings and funeral.

About 50 pictures have been selected to be put on view at the exhibit in Kazakhstan titled “Hello to the Sun”.

The collection shows photos of Imam Khomeini from when he was a teenager to his life in exile in Iraq and France.

The exhibition, which opens on Tuesday, will also showcase pictures of his return to Iran in 1979, his meetings with foreign personalities, his family life and finally his large funeral in June 1989.

The death anniversary of Imam Khomeini, which falls on June 3 this year, will be observed in numerous cultural events across the country.

The Art and Cultural Organization of the Tehran Municipality has organized book fairs across the capital to commemorate the 31st anniversary of the passing of Imam Khomeini.

Twenty-five book fairs underway at Tehran’s libraries and cultural centers are offering a large, well-chosen selection of books, which are mostly about Imam Khomeini and the Islamic revolution. /T.T/

Five Iranian universities were ranked among the top 100 universities of Times Higher Education (THE) Asia University Rankings 2020, ISNA reported on Monday.

The Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings 2020 use the same 13 performance indicators as THE World University Rankings, but they are recalibrated to reflect the attributes of Asia’s institutions.

The universities are judged across all their core missions – teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook – to provide the most comprehensive and balanced comparisons available. China is home to the continent’s top two universities for the first time this year, as Tsinghua University holds on to first place and Peking University climbs three places to second.

Meanwhile, Japan is once again the most-represented nation in the list with 110 institutions, up from 103 last years.

Elsewhere, Macau University of Science and Technology is the top new entry in the table, debuting at 32nd place.

The 2020 ranking includes just under 500 universities from 30 territories.

Mohammad Javad Dehghani, head of the Islamic World Science Citation Center (ISC), said that there are 40 universities from Iran, including the Noshirvani University of Technology in Babol, Sharif University of Technology, and the Amirkabir University of Technology, ranked the three top universities of Iran.

The number of Iranian universities has risen from 29 in the Asian Times 2019 rankings to 40 in 2020 (the number of universities in the ranking has risen from 417 to 489). In 2019, four universities in the country ranked below 100 in Asia, while in 2020 this number reached five. However, Iran’s best ranking in 2019 was 43rd, but this ranking rose to 48th in 2020, he explained.

In 2020, Iran had 40 universities among the top Asian universities, which was 29 in 2019, 18 in 2018, and 14 universities in 2017, he highlighted.

Although Iran has grown significantly in terms of the number of universities compared to the previous years, the growth in terms of rank is seen in only a number of universities, including Sharif University of Technology, University of Science and Technology, Tehran Medical Sciences, Mashhad Medical Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University.

T.T/