The National Conference on “Investment in Production” Held at Khatam University

According to Khatam University’s public relations and website department, the Thirteenth National Conference on the Scientific Progress and Development of the Country, with the central theme of “Investment in Production,” was organized by the Council of Iranian Scientific Associations on Saturday, February 14, 2026 and hosted by Khatam University in its amphitheater hall, with the presence of the Vice President for Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy and presentations by experts and specialists in the field.

Dr. Majid Ghasemi, President of Khatam University and Head of the Council of Iranian Scientific Associations, in the opening ceremony of the conference, described investment in production as one of the country’s most serious issues and stated: “If we are unable to ensure that the country’s gross domestic investment remains positive each year, it means that we are consuming our capital and that inflation and rising prices will continue. The reality is that over the past 10 to 11 years, we have experienced a regressive trend in gross domestic capital formation.”

Referring to this matter, he noted that it was on this very basis that Iran’s Supreme Leader, in his Nowruz message, placed special emphasis on investment in production. He recalled the holding of this pre-conference immediately after the naming of the current Persian year by the Supreme Leader as the “Year of Investment in Production,” and expressed hope that the outcomes of the conference, which will certainly be presented in a documented format to the country’s senior executive authorities, would contribute to resolving some of the major challenges in this field.

Subsequently, Dr. Hossein Afshin, Vice President for Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy, who was the special guest of the conference, emphasized in his remarks the necessity of intelligent policy design in the field of investment in production. Using the metaphor of a car engine, he described intelligent design as a prerequisite for driving the economy forward and stated: “To set an engine in motion, merely increasing fuel is not sufficient; the air–fuel ratio, the performance of the spark plugs, the accuracy of the sensors, and the decision-making logic must also function properly. The situation of investment in Iran’s economy is similar. Resources have increased, but due to the lack of intelligence and design, commensurate output has not been achieved.”

He stressed: “Investment is not merely money; it is money plus algorithm that gives meaning to investment—that is, resources that know where they are connected and how they will transform into product, market, export, and ultimately power. More than a shortage of resources, the country suffers from a shortage of an investment model. The central issue is designing money so that it transforms into technology.”

The Vice President further stated that scientific progress is no longer ornamental or merely academic, adding: “Science determines whether a country is a price-maker or a price-taker in the global market; whether it is a designer or a consumer in national security; and whether it owns technology in the economy or merely rents it. The long-term nature of scientific investment is not a weakness but its advantage, because what yields immediate results is superficial, whereas deep transformations emerge from the foundation of science.”

Dr. Afshin added: “Investing in science is investing in building the future. If a country fails to do so, it becomes a consumer market for the technologies of others. Such dependency is the result of neglecting deep and strategic investment.”

He also referred to the limitations of the banking system in financing intangible assets and emphasized the necessity of moving toward venture capital funds, project-based financing, and public–private partnerships. He stated: “We must learn to finance science through new financial instruments. Banks were not designed for science. Banks think in terms of collateral. Science has no collateral. Science is an intangible asset, and intangible assets are not recognized in traditional economics. Therefore, we must move beyond banks and toward venture funds, project funds, supply chain financing, and public–private partnerships.”

Regarding imbalances in the country, he said: “Imbalances are resolved through technology, and technology is built through scientific investment. In electricity, the issue is not merely production; it is management, the grid, losses, load forecasting, energy storage, and industrial consumption optimization. These challenges are not solved by building more power plants. They are solved through smart grids, data, algorithms, artificial intelligence, sensors, and similar tools.”

Afshin emphasized: “If we want to resolve imbalances, we must shift investment from the ‘production of quantity’ to the ‘production of capability.’ Capability means enabling the country to solve problems, not merely to spend money. If scientific investment is not taken seriously today, tomorrow the country will be compelled to pay multiple times the cost for purchasing, leasing, and adapting to others’ technologies. Although science is long-term in its returns, once it yields results, it removes the country from volatility and places it on a sustainable path—one in which shocks no longer have a decisive impact, because the foundations have been firmly established.”

According to the same report, during the continuation of the Thirteenth National Conference, a trilateral memorandum of understanding was signed to develop the value chain of the cage aquaculture industry between the Office of the Vice President for Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy, the Innovation and Prosperity Fund, and Bank Pasargad.

This memorandum, grounded in the country’s macro science and technology policies and in line with upstream documents—including the Knowledge-Based Production Leap Law, the Seventh Development Plan, and requirements related to strengthening food security and increasing fisheries production and catch—was concluded. The resolution of the Permanent Working Group of the Steering Council for Knowledge-Based Technologies and Products concerning the driving role of the cage aquaculture value chain was also cited as a basis for this cooperation.

The memorandum emphasizes establishing mechanisms for cooperation, partnership, and synergy to develop the technology-based value chain of the cage aquaculture industry. Enhancing domestic manufacturing capacity, supporting knowledge-based companies, removing technological bottlenecks, expanding exports, and utilizing the public–private partnership model within the framework of the Value Chain Innovation Driver Regulation and other upstream laws are among its objectives.

Under this memorandum, Bank Pasargad, leveraging its financial and professional capacities and its experience in financing major projects, will act as the financier and facilitator of priority projects within the value chain of the cage aquaculture industry. This cooperation will be implemented within the framework of the “Value Chain Innovation Driver” regulation and through the public–private partnership (PPP) model.

The objective of this collaboration is to establish a synergistic mechanism between financial and technological institutions to enhance domestic production capacity, support knowledge-based companies active in this industry, eliminate technological bottlenecks, develop specialized infrastructure, and strengthen the country’s export capacities.

Following a report presented by Dr. Hamid Zolfaghari, CEO of Vastra (the investment arm of Bank Pasargad), the memorandum was signed in the presence of Dr. Hossein Afshin, Vice President for Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy; Dr. Majid Ghasemi, CEO of Bank Pasargad; and Dr. Asghar Einollahi-Zadeh, Head of the Board of the Innovation and Prosperity Fund.

During the conference, three specialized panels were held on topics related to investment in production, featuring experts in the field.

In his concluding remarks, Dr. Majid Ghasemi, Head of the Council of Iranian Scientific Associations and President of Khatam University, referring to the Supreme Leader’s guidance on investment in production, stated: “The greatest obstacle to investment in production is the absence of a proper understanding of development in the country. Development is a treasure that cannot be attained without hardship and perseverance.”