Afshin: Iran's Creative Economy Must Shift from Production-Driven to Market-Driven

Isfahan - Presidential Science Deputy, stressing the need to link knowledge, art and the market, said: Shifting from production-orientation to market-orientation and providing access to global markets are requirements for increasing Iran's share of the creative industries economy.

According to Mehr reporter, Hossein Afshin, on Tuesday morning at the opening ceremony of the national event of Manvin creative industries in Isfahan, which was organized by the vice president for science, technology and knowledge-based economy, said: Today's economy is not only dependent on the production of high-quality products, but the ability to supply, market, access to diverse customers and maintain the producer's share of the final value of the product also plays a decisive role in economic success.

Referring to Iran's cultural, artistic and scientific capacities, he added: "The country has natural resources, talented manpower, historical civilization, traditional arts, architecture, handicrafts and rich literature, but having these assets does not necessarily mean a proportionate share of the world markets."

The President's vice president for science, technology and knowledge-based economy, by distinguishing the three concepts of having capacity, producing a product and selling it under favorable conditions, clarified: a producer enjoys greater economic power when he has access to customers, sales channels and diverse markets and does not have to accept any price and conditions for the supply of his product.

Afshin described this ability as a trading option in economic relations and said: having a good product is a necessary condition for success, but it is not sufficient; What creates economic power is the ability to convert the product into value and keep the producer's fair share of it.

Referring to Iran's capabilities in the field of carpets, mythological narratives, design and traditional arts, he said: If the producer does not have a brand, distribution network, intellectual property rights and access to the customer, a large part of the economic value of his product or creative work may be formed at another point of the chain and the main share of it will not reach the producer.

The necessity of linking new technologies with Iran's cultural capacities

Referring to the historical background of Isfahan in the connection of science and art, the President's vice president for science, technology and knowledge-based economy stated: Iranian architecture is an example of synergy of knowledge, geometry, calculation and aesthetics; A connection that can be clearly seen in works such as the dome of the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque and the Naqsh Jahan Square complex.

Afshin added: Today, technologies such as artificial intelligence, computational design, 3D printing, augmented reality, digital production technologies and global content distribution platforms have provided the country with new tools for the development of creative industries. The main issue is whether Iran will be a mere consumer of products designed by others or can rely on its culture, history, art and imagination to produce products that are in demand in global markets.

Emphasizing that changing the means of production does not mean changing the nature of creativity, he said: Technology is valuable when it expands the human ability to create, not when it replaces his thought and imagination.

Referring to the role of design, software, user experience, brand and intellectual property in the value of new products, the vice president for science, technology and knowledge-based economy stated: the economic value of many other products is not only derived from raw materials or their production process; Rather, a collection of knowledge, design, experience, identity and creativity forms their final value.

Afshin continued: In creative economy, in addition to the physical product, meaning, experience, beauty and sometimes a part of cultural identity are also offered, and this feature turns the link between knowledge, culture and economy into one of the important axes of economic development.

He considered creative industries to be more than an independent sector along with other industries and emphasized: this area can be a model for transformation in Iran's economy; A transformation in which a greater share of economic value from knowledge, design, creativity, brand and intellectual property is obtained and maintained inside the country.

Passing production-oriented support to the development of the full creative economy chain

The vice president for science, technology and knowledge-based economy emphasized the need to expand the concept of knowledge-based economy and stated: knowledge is not limited to laboratory achievements; The experience of masters, the ability of industrial designers and the creativity of writers in recreating cultural narratives are also part of the knowledge capacity of the country.

Afshin added: In order to convert these capacities into economic value, a complete chain must be formed from idea and design to production, intellectual property, financing, marketing and export. Supporting production without considering the market and customer leaves an important part of the process of transforming knowledge and creativity into a sustainable economy incomplete.

Pointing to the necessity of changing the policy approach of science and technology from production-oriented to market-oriented, he clarified: Granting facilities to companies helps in the formation of a sustainable economy when their products have the possibility of reaching customers and effective presence in the market. Also, neglecting intellectual property can cause creativity to be formed in Iran, but its economic value is created outside the country.

Emphasizing the necessity of preserving cultural values along with market development, the President's vice president for science, technology and knowledge-based economy said: market-oriented does not mean measuring all cultural values with financial criteria, but rather its goal is to create a stable connection between cultural value and economic value.

Afshin considered the government's role in the development of creative industries to provide a platform for the growth of activists in this field and stated: the policymaker should not decide on the taste and imagination of artists, but should reduce the obstacles to their activity, lower the risk of investment, strengthen intellectual property rights and facilitate access to the market.

Pointing to the necessity of supporting creative youth, he added: conditions must be provided so that the owners of ideas can go through the path of turning ideas into products and then reaching customers; A path that will be difficult without proper financing mechanisms, support for intangible assets and market development.

The President's vice president for science, technology and knowledge-based economy further pointed to the change in the nature of assets in the new economy and stated: the financial system should not summarize the assets of companies only in land, buildings and machinery, because an important part of the value of creative companies may lie in their software, brand, design, data and intellectual property.

Emphasizing the necessity of moving from partial approaches in supporting creative industries, Afshin emphasized the importance of moving from a festival-oriented approach to the formation of an ecosystem of creative industries; An ecosystem that can strengthen the connection between idea makers, producers, investors, the market and intellectual property protection mechanisms.