Global trends show that in today&#39;s world, knowledge-based economy and development are the most important approaches to the holistic development of countries. In addition, the three main pillars of knowledge production and modern technological developments are &quot;universities&quot;, &quot;research institutes&quot; and &quot;industrial laboratories&quot;, with a close interaction in the ecosystem of innovation. With the emergence of new concepts in the business world, including innovation and entrepreneurship, and the widespread role of technology in economy, we are witnessing the emergence of a new type of growing interaction and overlaps between these three sectors, known as the triple helix.

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Since universities stepped onto the realm of innovation and entrepreneurship, these activities have been officially introduced as important quality evaluation criteria, on which many university ranking systems depend today. This goes hand in hand with recent changes in society and industry which require the entrepreneurial capacities of universities in creating business opportunities based on current potentials to address social problems. Therefore, universities need to prepare for their new roles by empowering their graduates on their path towards entrepreneurial universities. 

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Academic entrepreneurship consists of setting the context for encouraging innovative behavior, commercializing the output of academic research, and expanding the boundaries of human knowledge. Entrepreneurial graduates, who can address innovative needs through joint action between the two systems of higher education and innovation, are only made possible by integrating knowledge, skills, wisdom, and innovation. 

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Fortunately, innovation and entrepreneurship have received serious attention in the academic context of Iran in recent years and Khatam University is also rapidly moving towards full realization of ​​an entrepreneurial university. This includes the introduction of the Vice-chancellor of Planning into the organizational structure of Khatam and defining missions related to innovation, entrepreneurship, and university/industry relations. One of the measures taken was founding the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center of the university in order to fulfill Khatam responsibilities in addressing social needs in the areas of innovation, technology development, and entrepreneurship. The center engages all innovation-based groups including initial cores of startups that carry out their missions in cooperation with different Khatam departments, research laboratories, experts, and business specialists in the innovation ecosystem of Pasargad Financial Group.

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Khatam Innovation &amp; Entrepreneurial Center provides short-term (three months) and long-term (up to three years) facilities and resources to individuals and entrepreneurs with innovative ideas to facilitate the process of converting ideas into products, knowledge-based entrepreneurship and formation of knowledge-based companies. This center addresses academicians -including students, graduates and faculty members- elites, inventors and innovators, investors, non-state companies, R&amp;D departments, and various organizations, especially Pasargad Group, with innovative ideas.

Innovation and entrepreneurship center

The main approach of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center is to create, reinforce, and integrate the components of the innovation ecosystem.

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Goals 

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Developing and promoting the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Undertaking the realization of innovation-based entrepreneurship;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Accelerating the process of turning ideas into products;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Contributing to industry/university relation through branding Khatam in innovative areas;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 8px;">Organizing &amp; encouraging student teamwork.</li>
</ul>

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Responsibilities 

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Planning, organizing and coordinating individuals and administrative, laboratory, and workshop resources in order to fulfill the defined goals;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Designing and implementing promotional plans for the development of the innovation system;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Establishing the necessary communication and interaction with growth centers, science and technology parks, industry liaison offices and other related parties;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Supporting the formation of the initial cores of innovation and entrepreneurship and monitoring their performance;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Holding events and competitions necessary for entrepreneurs and innovators, such as business plan events;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 8px;">Holding training courses to enhance professional entrepreneurial skills and fostering creativity and innovation.</li>
</ul>

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Acceleration 

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Accelerating the development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem through holding entrepreneurial events or supporting them;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Identifying and guiding groups and individuals with innovative ideas and supporting them;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Consulting, guiding and supporting the provision of human resources as well as financing, equipping, and marketing with the general goal of directing ideas within the center towards the market and profitability;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Recruiting accelerators in the acceleration center and providing necessary services and consultations to startups based at the center;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 8px;">Monitoring the quality of entrepreneurial events, the performance of accelerators, teams&rsquo; and startups&rsquo; growth process, with constant outcome evaluation in order to increase the efficiency of the center.</li>
</ul>

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The main activity of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center of Khatam University takes place in three phases: pre-acceleration, acceleration, and post-acceleration, in specific time frames. Startups that are accepted in the first stage are introduced to the pre-acceleration stage and benefit from our educational services, mentorship, and work space. Upon successful accomplishment of this stage, the team will enter the acceleration phase. In the acceleration phase, in addition to the work space and mentorship, teams benefit from legal advice, human and financial resources, and initial investment. Another important privilege at this stage includes the possibility of communication with the network of investors for startups. In the final phase, in addition to all the services of the previous stages, performance indicators are defined and monitored.

The Goals of The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Biotechnology, agriculture and food industry;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Medicine and advanced diagnostic and treatment products;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Advanced materials and products based on chemical technologies;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Advanced machinery and equipment;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Medical devices, supplies and equipment;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Electricity and electronics, photonics, telecommunications;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Information technology and computer software;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Commercialization services;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 8px;">Humanities, creative, and cultural industries.</li>
</ul>

The Working Areas of The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center

Submission, admission, and implementation process of proposals at the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center of Khatam university occurs in seven steps as described below. 

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Step One: Proposal Submission

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 8px;">Proposal submission on the website of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center.</li>
</ul>

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Step Two: Evaluation and Contract 

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Evaluation of the idea by proposal committee based on its practicality and market potential;</li>
</ul>

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<ul dir="ltr">
	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Interviews with the owners of screened proposals;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 8px;">Temporary approval for a one-month trial.</li>
</ul>

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Step Three: Primitive Approval

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An extraordinary experience of a 30-day startup life with general non-monetary facilities, including: 

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Training, consulting, working space, and technical infrastructures;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 8px;">Signing a free shared workspace contract with teams.</li>
</ul>

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What is done by the accelerator: 

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Evaluating the level of team members&rsquo; commitment at work;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Evaluating teamwork and organization;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 8px;">Validation of the basic idea.</li>
</ul>

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Step Four: Decision Making 

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">The Investment Committee of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center reviews the proposals which have applied for Khatam Seed Fund (Approximately 2 weeks);</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">The Investment Committee of the Innovation Center decides whether the owner of the innovative idea should be invited for detailed examination;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">A minimum of 10 minutes will be given to the owner of the innovative idea for presentation;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">A minimum of 20 minutes of Q&amp;A time will be allocated for the jury;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Signing a support contract in case of approval;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 8px;">Receiving 15% of the startup&rsquo;s shares in exchange for providing acceleration services.</li>
</ul>

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Step Five: Acceleration 

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At this stage, using the investment and services of Khatam Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, the teams produce the product and optimize their business model in order to reach a replicable, expandable, and presentable model by the end of the acceleration period. Startups benefit from the center&#39;s acceleration services and financial support for a 9-month period:

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Seed capital and supply of non-monetary capital;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Shared workspace;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Infrastructure services including servers, internet, and cloud services;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Training services and workshops;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Mentorship services;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Primary management by setting and monitoring key performance indicators;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Networking for market development and capital attraction;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 8px;">Internationalization service for startups.</li>
</ul>

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Step Six: Achievements Exhibition &nbsp;

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<ul dir="ltr">
	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Opportunities of achievements exhibition for startups;</li>
</ul>

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<ul dir="ltr">
	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">The possibility of presenting the business plan to investors;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">The possibility of product development and increasing market share through investment attraction;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 8px;">The possibility of accessing the network of investors of Pasargad Financial Group.</li>
</ul>

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Step Seven: Post-Acceleration 

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Those who successfully pass the acceleration phase will enter the post-acceleration phase if the following conditions are met: 

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Their product/service is in the market;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 8px;">Their business model has passed primitive validation;</li>
</ul>

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	<li style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 8px;">A minimum level of income has been achieved;</li>
</ul>

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Maximum investment of Khatam Innovation Center as well as accelerator&#39;s share will be determined in the post-acceleration phase in a negotiation process and upon mutual agreement.

How to Submit in The Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

<a href="http://innovation.khatam.ac.ir/login" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline">Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre of Khatam University Website</a> 

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Email: <a href="mailto:innovation@khatam.ac.ir" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline">innovation@khatam.ac.ir</a> &nbsp;

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Instagram: instagram.com/lnnovation.khatam

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Telegram: @innovation.khatam 

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LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/innovation-khatam" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline">https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/innovation-khatam</a>