Iranian VP: Knowledge-based firms best option to link universities to industrial sector

Iranian Vice-President for Science, Technology and Knowledge-based Economy Ruhollah Dehghani Firouzabadi describes knowledge-based companies as the “best option” for linking universities to the country’s industrial sector.

Speaking at a gathering which marked the foundation of the-vice presidency, Dehghani Firouzabadi called for the establishment of third- and fourth-generation universities.
Third-generation universities will be capable of guiding students toward becoming entrepreneurs and forming their own businesses while providing them with specialized training, he explained.
The official also said that the task of fourth-generation universities will be to educate the society on the need for science and technology.
In order to boost the country’s technological and scientific sectors and create jobs, universities need to be in contact with the industrial sector, but such a link would not be possible since the two sides may not understand one another, he added.
“There’s a need for an intermediary here,” said the official. “I think knowledge-based firms are the best option for this job since they understand the language of both the industrial sector and the universities.”