Dr. Ameli: The establishment of the Digital Economy Development Technology Centre will be a platform for cooperation with ICT Park

At the beginning of this visit, which was held on February 28, 2023, Dr. Mohammad Jafar Sadigh Damghanizadeh, the Advisor to the Minister and the President of ICT Park, referred to the significance of a powerful economy in the growth and development of Iran and the remarkable role of Parks in this regard: "According to ICT Park's Article of Associations, we have a digital economy development network all around Iran to which provincial Parks can subscribe; additionally, we provide grants to the ICT companies associated with the Park while providing park management training for the intended Parks," he said. 

Pointing to the significance of the companies’ potentials for providing funds for themselves instead of receiving financial support from the government, he emphasized the necessity of involving private sector in the projects: "One important method is to introduce IT into the existing industries; that means, instead of creating production units, we should introduce artificial intelligence technology into agriculture, aiming to increase income in this way," he added. 

Dr. Sadigh Damghanizadeh then proposed two areas for cooperation between ICT Park and Ardabil Province: "One area is the issue of smart agriculture, which includes creating a network of small-scale greenhouses, which we are currently developing in Zanjan Governorate. The products of this project can be implemented in Ardabil as well," he said. 

The President of Information and Communication Technology Park also elaborated on the process of establishing a greenhouse and creating its units, the intended type of ownership, the proper method for selling products, and the extent of ICT Park's cooperation in establishing this greenhouse. 

His second proposal for cooperation between ICT Park and Ardabil Governorate included supporting skill-based training: "In this program, after approving a number of educational institutions as the organizers of these training courses and introducing them to the companies, we will pay 30% of all the learners' tuition fees and will provide up to 70% of the tuition fees for the top 40% learners’ of each course. The result of this undertaking is that after these courses, individuals can work as freelancers, initiate their own companies, or be employed in an organization; in any case, their income will increase," he explained. 

In another part of this meeting, Dr. Hamed Ameli, the Governor of Ardabil, while appreciating the idea of cooperation with ICT Park considered the establishment of the regional technology centre for the development of the digital economy a suitable platform for the intended projects of implementing a greenhouse and starting skill-based training. He also introduced Ardebil's Science and Technology Park, emphasizing the significance of governmental support of the private sector. 

At the end of this meeting, the governor of Ardabil and his accompanying delegation visited different sections of ICT Park.