Tehran towards a smart city; From setting up fablabs to creating an innovation observatory

Emphasizing that the development of the capital's infrastructure is impossible without relying on technology, the financial deputy of the mayor of Tehran said: a major part of the municipality's needs are provided through the capacity of knowledge-based companies; an approach that has entered the phase with the launch of 4 science and technology parks, dozens of specialized innovation centers and urban reference laboratories in the capital.

According to Ambassador of Arjan, Sajjad Mohammad Alinejad, Deputy Mayor of Tehran, referring to the necessity of using technology in the development of urban infrastructure, stated: Tehran city needs innovation and urban management has the duty to provide the specialized activities of elites by creating the necessary platforms. A major part of Tehran municipality's needs can be met precisely through the ability of knowledge-based companies.

Referring to the pursuit of this goal in the past five years, he added: The necessary structures for the development of innovation have been formed, which include the establishment of the Technology and Innovation Organization and the obtaining of the Science and Technology Park license. The science and technology park complex will be active in 4 sections, including Velayat Park and three other places in the capital, and the necessary regulations have been formulated.

Mohammad Alinejad also announced the link between urban planning and innovation and said: We have planned to institutionalize the development of technological and scientific environments during the revision of the detailed plan of the city of Tehran.

The end of island activities with the launch of Tehran Innovation Observatory

In the continuation of this meeting, Behzad Paimard, CEO of Tehran Municipality's New Technologies and Urban Innovation Organization, pointed out the capital's capacities and said: Tehran can be among the leading cities in the use of technology in urban management and services. Previously, the actions of municipal organizations were carried out in isolation, but with the development of a road map and the creation of governance mechanisms, full coordination was established.

He announced the launch of "Tehran Innovation Observatory" and emphasized: To improve Tehran's position in global innovation indicators, the comparative experiences of cities such as Barcelona and New York have been used, and the indicators of this observatory will be the basis for management decisions.

Paimard clarified about the capital's new infrastructure: Velayat Science and Technology Parks, Dialogue, Itthad and Siman Ray have been established or are in the process of construction. In addition, specialized innovation centers have been activated in the fields of tourism, smart pilgrimage, crisis management, energy, health, Safir Arjan and Battery.

In the end, the CEO of Tehran Municipality's New Technologies Organization pointed to the capital's laboratory network and said: Fablabs Sattarkhan, Ray, Farhang and Mobile Fablab have been launched and the first urban "living laboratory" has been created in Tawheed metro station, which will officially start working within the next month.