The secretary general of the Biotechnology Development Headquarters has said about $1.8 billion have been saved as a result of biotechnological activities in the field of medicine.

“Efforts in the ecosystem of technology and innovation are so great that every year we see a decrease in spending foreign exchange and an increase in domestic production in the field of medicine and treatment,’ ISNA quoted Mostafa Qanei as saying.

Products that have been manufactured with the help of indigenized biotechnology have met domestic needs, he added.

“Currently, about 800 knowledge-based companies are operating in the field of biotechnology, and we are trying to increase this number qualitatively and quantitatively by increasing support,” Qanei highlighted.

In January, Qanei said the U.S. sanctions have impeded the country’s ability to acquire a targeted 3 percent share of the global biotechnology market.

Iran is an advanced and developed country in the field of biotechnology and home to outstanding technologists, he added.

“We could easily increase Iran’s share of the global biological market to three percent,” he said.

Considering that Iran has 1 percent of the world’s population, we aimed to gain 3 percent of the world’s biotechnology market, but the sanctions did not allow us to become a good actor in the field of biotechnology at the international level.

The Secretary of Biotechnology Development Headquarters considered financial exchanges to be the main problem in this field.

“In recent years, we have tried to realize this plan, and technologists and knowledge-based companies have also taken steps in this direction, and good successes have been achieved, but we are far from reaching the desired point,” he noted.

Currently, around 30 types of biotech medicines are produced in the country in addition to kits, vaccines, and blood products. Also, 80 percent of biotechnology pharmaceutical items are domestically produced.

Biotechnology today is widespread in all fields and is no longer limited to biomedical drugs so it has replaced injured limbs.

The Vice Presidency for Science and Technology is set to achieve a 3 percent share of the global biotechnology market.

In May 2021, the Biotechnology Development Council launched 129 production projects with the aim of saving up to $1.44 billion in foreign currency.

Iran is ranked 12th in the world and first in West Asia in terms of biotechnology, as 9.5 percent of the income of knowledge-based companies and more than 60 percent of their exports are related to biotechnology.

Foreign exchange savings of $1 billion per year by producing 22 biopharmaceuticals, gaining the first rank in biotechnology products and vaccines in West Asia, and the presence among the top five biotechnology producers in Asia are among the country’s achievements, Qanei said in October 2020.

So far, 27 biotechnology medicines, 12 vaccine projects, 90 pharmaceutical raw materials, and 55 projects in agriculture and food security have been implemented in order to gain a 3 percent market share and biotechnology assistance to the development of the economy, he explained. /T.T/

Iranian woman skier Samaneh Beyrami Baher secured her place in the women’s 5km individual final race in freestyle technique at the Cross-Country Skiing World Championships underway in Planica, Slovenia.

She crossed the finish line with a time of 16:12.4 and came eighth.

Beyrami is the first Iranian woman skier to compete in the final.

Brazilian skier Jaqueline Mourao took home first place at the qualification race with a total time of 14:42.0. /T.T/

More than 5,500 jobs have been created so far by the medicinal plants sector in the current Iranian calendar year that ends on March 20.

Since the beginning of the year, a total of 1,835 projects have been launched in the field of medicinal plants, which have created over 5,500 direct and indirect job opportunities, IRNA reported.

The projects have been implemented in 258 cities and 188 villages nationwide.

Iran ranks fourth worldwide in the production of science in the field of traditional medicine, and the remarkable achievement will improve in the coming years, Nafiseh Hosseini Yekta, the director of the health ministry’s Persian medicine office, has announced.

Over 17,000 books have so far been published about Persian traditional medicine, which has been recognized by the World Health Organization, she noted.

Iranian traditional medicine strongly focuses on prioritizing health maintenance and disease prevention over treatment.

It is one of the most ancient forms of traditional medicine. It is grounded in the concept of four senses of humor: phlegm (Balgham), blood (Dam), yellow bile (Safra’), and black bile (Sauda’). The concept of the four senses of humor is based on the teachings of Rhazes and Avicenna in an elaborate medical system.

So far, about 30,000 plant species have been identified in the world, with Iran’s share of about 8,000 species which is more than the whole of species found in Europe.

The per capita consumption of medicinal plants in Iran is about one kilogram of dried plants, in other words, 83,000 tons of medicinal plants worth 1.2 trillion rials (around $4 million) are consumed in the country, while in Europe this amount is 900 grams and in the United States is 2.5 kilograms.

The 6th National Festival and Exhibition of Medicinal Plants, Natural Products, and Iranian Traditional Medicine was held in Tehran on November 1 to 4, 2022.

The event introduced technological and scientific achievements of knowledge-based and creative companies in the field of medicinal plants.

It also created a reliable bridge between people who are active in the ecosystem of medicinal plants and traditional medicine.

It hosted knowledge-based companies, investors, research and technology funds, creative and innovation houses, banks, and venture capital funds in order to provide a path for development in the country.

More than 70 creative companies and a number of innovative houses presented their capabilities and products at the festival. /T.T/

An Iranian Defense Ministry official unveiled plans to turn the homegrown stealth fighter jet “Qaher (Conqueror)” into a pilotless warplane.
The managing director of the Iran Aviation Industries Organization (IAIO), a subsidiary of the Defense Ministry, announced in a televised interview on Saturday that the Qaher fighter jet project has reached full maturity in technologies.

General Afshin Khajefard said the Defense Ministry is working on the diversity of the final product, adding that the Qaher fighter jet is going to emerge as a pilotless aircraft.

A series of versions of Qaher will be unveiled in the middle of the next Iranian year, which will begin on March 21, he added.

The general noted that the Defense Ministry has made modifications to the Qaher fighter jet to adapt it for the utilities of two military units.

Khajefard also stated that Iran has begun to develop electric airplanes and is going to test two prototypes next year.

Iran has fully gained the technical know-how to manufacture electric drones, but the production of manned electric planes requires more research and development, he added.

The general also highlighted Iran’s progress in the production of firefighting drones, saying two representatives from foreign countries have purchased this Iranian drone.

The Iranian fighter jet Qaher-313 was unveiled in February 2013. The single-seat stealth fighter jet can take off and land on short runways.

Iranian military experts and technicians have in recent years made great headways in manufacturing a broad range of indigenous equipment, making the armed forces self-sufficient in the arms sphere. /T.T/

Head of the Iran-China Joint Chamber of Commerce said Iran is to open a trade center in China by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20), IRIB reported.

According to Majid-Reza Hariri, the center is going to be launched with the aim of pursuing the implementation of the recent agreements and deals signed between the two countries.

Pointing to the conclusion of numerous business agreements between Iranian and Chinese companies during the recent visit of President Ebrahim Raisi to China, Hariri said: “In order to follow up on contracts and develop business relations, an office will be established in China which will also work to facilitate the presence of Chinese businessmen in Iran.”

China has remained Iran’s largest trading partner for 10 consecutive years as of 2022, according to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.

“China-Iran trade totaled $15.8 billion in 2022, up seven percent, year on year,” Shu Jueting, a spokesperson for China’s Commerce Ministry, told a press conference on Thursday.

“During President Raisi’s visit to China, the two countries exchanged in-depth views on promoting bilateral economic and trade relations and reached a series of positive results,” Shu said.

“In the next step, we will work with our Iran counterpart to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state in the economic and trade fields, deepen pragmatic cooperation in trade and other fields, import more Iranian high-quality products, and continue to carry out cooperation in building the Belt and Road Initiative.”

The spokesperson said China would strengthen multilateral cooperation between the two countries and inject new growth impetus into deepening the China-Iran comprehensive strategic partnership.

Heading a high-ranking delegation, Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi was on a three-day state visit to China starting Feb. 14.

During President Raisi’s visit to China, Tehran, and Beijing signed a number of bilateral cooperation documents in the fields of agriculture, trade, tourism, environmental protection, health, disaster relief, culture, and sports.

The documents include agreements in the field of transportation and industry worth $12 billion and $3.5 billion, respectively, the agreements cover various joint projects like the high-speed rail link between Tehran and Mashhad, and investment in the Imam Khomeini Airport City.

Investment in Iran’s southeastern Mokran Coast and the purchase of Iranian oil are also mentioned in the documents.

Raisi’s visit serves as an example of the high level of mutual trust between China and Iran, as well as a milestone for bilateral ties.

Hariri had earlier said that considering the opportunities presented by the two countries’ 25-year strategic agreement, the trade between Iran and China can be increased three-fold.

“In the worst conditions created by sanctions, our trade with the Chinese reached about 24 billion dollars, and we can increase this figure by at least three times, Hariri said.

Member of the International Relations and Trade Development Committee of the Iranian House of Industry, Mining, and Trade Ruhollah Latifi has also said that China was Iran’s top trade partner in the first 10 months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21, 2022-January 20, 2023) with 29.2 million tons of goods worth $25.3 billion being exchanged between the two sides. /T.T/

The 14th International Exhibition of Gold, Silver, Jewelry, Watches, and Related Industries is going to be held at Tehran Permanent International Fairgrounds during February 21-24, IRIB reported.

Well-known companies active in the jewelry industry are going to showcase their latest products and achievements in this four-day exhibition.

Gold, silver, antiques, pearls, precious stones, cut ornaments and jewelry, watches, as well as jewelry-related machines, tools, and equipment are among the items presented at this international exhibition. /T.T/

The 39th edition of Iran’s International Quran Competition opened at Tehran’s Islamic Summit Conference Hall on Saturday evening. Fifty-two reciters and memorizers from across the world are participating in the competition, which will run for four days.

Mehdi Khamushi, director of the State Endowment and Charity Affairs Organization, the main organizer of the Quran competition, said that this year’s contest is organized with the motto “One Book, One Ummah”.

He added that the participants have been selected from 150 reciters and memorizers, which took part in the preliminary stage of the competition.

Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad-Mehdi Esmaeili and Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf were among the guests at the opening ceremony of the event.

Earlier in December, the director of the Quran Affairs Center of the State Endowment and Charity Affairs Organization, Hamid Majidimehr, said that the participants have been selected with contributions from the embassies of Iran across the world.

He added, “The 2023 competition has been arranged in a way that the entries have deservedly been selected for the contest.”

In order to support the local currency, he noted that the winners will be awarded cash in rials, the standard unit of money in Iran.

Top winners in different categories will be awarded 1.5 billion rials (about $3,200 based on Iran’s free-market exchange rate: $1 = 470,000 rials).

Runners-up will be awarded 1.2 billion rials and third-place winners will receive a cash prize of 900 million rials.

He did not make any comment about the cash prizes for overseas winners.

The International Quran Competition is organized annually a few weeks before Ramadan at Tehran’s Islamic Summit Conference Hall.

The Quran Channel of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting records recitations every year to air during the fasting month.

Due to the new coronavirus epidemic in the country, the 2020 International Quran Competition was postponed and the pandemic forced the 2021 competition to go online. /T.T/

The value of Iran’s export to the U.S. increased by nine-fold in 2022, IRNA reported citing the latest statistics released by the American Statistical Association (ASA).

According to the ASA data, the Islamic Republic exported $11.2 million worth of goods to the U.S. in the past year, registering a nine-fold increase compared to 2021. Iran exported commodities valued at only $1.2 million to the U.S. in 2021.

The value of trade between Iran and the U.S. rose to $56.7 million in 2022, 40 percent more than the figure for the previous year, based on the ASA data.

According to the mentioned data, the trade between the two countries stood at $40.5 million in 2021.

The ASA data shows that the value of U.S. export to Iran also increased 16 percent to $45.5 million in the January-December 2022 period, from $39.3 million in the previous year.

Iran was ranked 175th among U.S. export destinations in 2021 and 172nd among the country’s top import sources. /T.T/

The acclaimed Iranian films “World War III” and “Beyond the Wall” will be competing in the 51st edition of the Belgrade International Film Festival in Serbia.

In addition “Banu”, a co-production of Azerbaijan, Iran and Italy, will be screened at the festival, which will take place from February 24 to March 5 in the Serbian capital.

Directed by Hooman Seyyedi, “World War III” was Iran’s submission to the international feature award at the 2023 Oscars, but it failed to enter the shortlist of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Winner of the Orizzonti Award for best film at the 79th Venice International Film Festival, the film follows Shakib, a homeless day laborer who never got over the loss of his wife and son in an earthquake years ago.

Over the last couple of years, he has developed a relationship with a deaf and mute woman, Ladan. The construction site on which he works today turns out to be the set for a film about the atrocities committed by Hitler during WWII. Against all odds, he is given a movie role, a house and a chance at being somebody. When Ladan learns about this, she comes to his workplace begging for help. Shakib’s scheme to hide her goes tragically wrong and threatens to ruin his newfound status and what seemed to be the opportunity of a lifetime.

“Beyond the Wall” by Vahid Jalilvand is about a blind man whose suicide attempt is interrupted by his building’s concierge who informs him of an escaped woman’s hideout in the building. It becomes the blind man’s goal to help her.

Written and directed by Tahmina Rafaella, “Banu” tells the story of a woman, who is accused of being an unfit mother by her influential husband. Now, she fights for the custody of her son amid the chaos of the final days of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. She has four days to find a single voice to speak on her behalf. /T.T/

The Webometrics Ranking of World Universities 2023 has ranked three Iranian medical sciences universities among the top institutions across the world.

Also known as Ranking Web of Universities, the Webometrics Ranking of World Universities is a ranking system for the world’s universities based on a composite indicator that takes into account both the volume of the Web content (number of web pages and files) and the visibility and impact of these web publications according to the number of external links (site citations) they received.

Launched in 2004, the ranking is updated every January and July. In 2021, it provided Web indicators for more than 31,000 universities worldwide.

Tehran University of Medical Sciences tops the list of Iranian universities included in this ranking, followed by Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, and Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, ISNA reported.

Between January and July of 2022 and 2023, the ranking results of the country’s medical sciences universities in the Webometrics ranking system show that Tehran University of Medical Sciences ranked first with 17 steps of growth compared to last year.

Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences ranked second with 26 steps of growth, and Tabriz University of Medical Sciences won third place with 16 steps of growth.

Other rankings

The 2023 ranking of the Times Higher Education has placed a number of Iranian universities among its top institutes in terms of education.

Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences comes first among the Iranian universities with a rank in the range of 351–400.

Islamic Azad University, Najafabad Branch, comes next with a rank in the range of 501–600.

Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Iran University of Medical Sciences, University of Kashan, University of Kurdistan, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, University of Tabriz, and The University of Tehran are in the range of 601–800.

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2023 include 1,799 universities across 104 countries and regions, making them the largest and most diverse university rankings to date.

The table is based on 13 carefully calibrated performance indicators that measure an institution’s performance across four areas: teaching, research, knowledge transfer, and international outlook.

This year’s ranking analyzed over 121 million citations across more than 15.5 million research publications and included survey responses from 40,000 scholars globally. Overall, we collected over 680,000 data points from more than 2,500 institutions that submitted data.

The University of Oxford tops the ranking for the seventh consecutive year. Harvard University remains in second place, but the University of Cambridge jumps from joint fifth last year to joint third.

A total of 63 universities from Iran have been listed in the Islamic World University Rankings 2022 announced by the Islamic World Science Citation Center (ISC), compared with 51 universities in 2021.

In the 2022 ISC ranking, there were 347 universities from 28 Islamic countries, where Turkey with 90 universities, and Iran with 63 universities had the largest number, IRNA reported.

ISC is the third internationally accredited citation center established in Iran based on a resolution adopted in 2008 by the 4th Meeting of the Islamic Ministers of Higher Education (ICMHESR) in Baku, the capital of the Republic of Azerbaijan, to index, evaluate and publish scientific productions in Islamic countries.

In “ISC world university rankings by subject” includes 4 major criteria of Education, Research, International Activity, and Innovation.

In the ISC 2022 world ranking, there are 2,422 universities from 111 countries and 6 continents, of which the Islamic Republic of Iran has 63 universities.

In the 2021 ranking, 2,300 universities from 107 countries and 6 continents were present, of which 51 universities were from Iran. Meanwhile, 46 universities from Iran had been listed in the ISC 2020 global ranking.

The University of Tehran and the Tehran University of Medical Sciences are in first place (401-450), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Sharif University of Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, and Tarbiat Modares University are in second place (601-700).

The Amir Kabir University of Technology and Mashhad University of Medical Sciences are in third place (701-800). / T.T/