"The main contribution of the knowledge-based economy in the world and the products of new industries are related to the electronics industry and associated fields.
"The main contribution of the knowledge-based economy in the world and the products of new industries are related to the electronics industry and associated fields. A glance at the statistics of the world's industrial exports in 2014 shows that the products of industries of electronics, electrical, medical equipment and instrumentation have a major share with the highest rate of exporting commodities groups. This paragraph is a part of note by Ali Vahdat, the ESFRD CEO, in the Economy's World (Donyaye Eghtesad) Newspaper.
According to the ESFRD's Public Relations, the full text of Ali Vahdat note, the ESFRD Chairman and CEO is as follows:
It is predicted in Vision Plan that in 1404, Iran "would have gained the first economic, scientific and technological place at the regional level and acquired advanced knowledge and become capable of producing science and technology". Also, in the general policies of resistive economy, the leadership of knowledge-based economy and increasing the share of production and exports of knowledge-based goods and services and achieving the first place in the knowledge-based economy of the region" have been considered. Also, in the general policies of science and technology, the "development of industries and services based on new science and technologies and supporting the production and export of knowledge-based products" have been emphasized. The general policies of the sixth plan have also mentioned the process of knowledge-based turning of industrial products and high-tech technologies and knowledge-based economy in different clauses.
The five-year plans, budget rules and other laws and practices are to be in the line of achieving the objectives contained in the upstream documents and make the route smoother; however, what are the requirements for achieving or approaching the considered goals, which have been repeatedly emphasized by the Supreme Leader, in practice and not relying on generalities and without slogan-like repeating of these goals?
The first step is to provide an accurate and transparent picture of the current country's status quo in areas of manufacturing, services, the have's and capabilities in knowledge-based fields. It is clear that failure to provide an accurate picture of the status quo as well as lack of determining the precise criteria for evaluating and monitoring the conditions of new and knowledge-based industries would lead to an inaccurate clear, not properly identified or targeted path, which will stop us from achieving optimal conditions.
For example, in the last months of the Fifth Plan, the analysts' speculation is that we are very far from the targets set reach the IT industry share to 2% of the GDP. Regardless of how the goals have been unrealistic or the efforts in the five-year course have not been correct or even possible, however, the result is the failure to realize the considered goals. But in fact, it does mean the lack of required talent and ability in the country, and this is not the cause for not-achieving the goals. But, necessary measures and predicting the steps and executive measures needed to achieve these objectives have not been properly explained.
In other words, to achieve the noble objectives outlined in the upstream documents, the status quo must be first determined accurately; the evaluation and monitoring indices of the continuing growth need to be inferred, the possible and practical steps and actions should be developed, and finally, the intermediate objectives (targeting of the 5-year program end) have to be realistically drawn. In the meantime, however, determining a continuous set of circumstances, requirements and needs for goals realization, including provision needs, financial equipping and necessary material and moral supports could make these movements more realistic.
We know that the main contribution of the knowledge-based economy in the world and the products of new industries is related to the electronics industry and its associated fields. A glance at the statistics of the world's industrial exports in 2014 shows that the products of industries of electronics, electrical, medical equipment and instrumentation have a major share with the highest rate of exporting commodities groups. Based on the 2014 figures in Iran, of about 440 thousands billion Tomans of industrial productions, about 13 thousands billion Tomans have been the share of the electronics industry with almost the same amount of official imports, while something less than 700 thousands billion Tomans have been the exports of this industry production.
Statistics show that in recent years, the electronics industry's share of the country's industrial output has been only about 3 percent. Without attention to the new industries area and its most central part, i.e., electronics industry and services, the targeting for the first place in the knowledge-based economy of the region would not be realistic. Our assets in this sector are significant and considerable.
In recent years, our best and the most qualified human resources and our best schools graduated have educated in the fields of electricity and electronics, computer, information technology and similar fields, and there are a wide knowledge resources in the country in this context. With no doubt, an economy relying on infinite knowledge-based resources instead of feeding on the underground limited resources will be more sustainable.
The experiences of recent years show that our professionals have been very successful in meeting the needs of sections that we have been forced to rely on domestic capabilities and have met the electronic needs of sectors of defense, telecommunications, equipments of receivers and transmitters of TV and radio, radars, software required by different fields, etc.
If we seriously believe in our assets and carefully study the experiences and the global movement path, it seems to be possible to take effective steps towards the realization of the knowledge-based economy through reasonable and supportive targeting, commensurate moral or financial supporting and investments far less than the low and old value-added industries, with high value-added products, with minimal reliance on natural resources, clean and environmentally friendly, creation of sustainable and valuable job and employment for the educated, retaining the country's talents and export-oriented productions.