According to the NIOC, Mahdiya Motahari made the remarks at a meeting with research and technology managers from subsidiary companies and executives of the PetroPark. He cited the realities of research and technology management and identified “first-of-its-kind manufacturing,” “technology annexes aligned with upstream policy documents,” and “accurate identification of capacities” as core priorities in the field. Motahari said interaction between the research and technology management and the park would be beneficial.

He stressed the need to better define the role of the PetroPark, adding that the park has helped reduce operational crises faced by technology firms and knowledge-based companies — a gap that had previously been felt in the oil industry’s innovation ecosystem.

Park links industry challenges to technological, commercial solutions

Farhang Fasihi, head of the PetroPark, said the role of research and technology is to define problems, while the park’s mission is to solve them. He said the park is directly connected to the oil industry to receive challenges and offer technological and commercial solutions.

Emphasizing that the park focuses on business rather than research alone, Fasihi said its distinguishing features include timely facilitation, network-based operations, and the ability to form consortia with other science and technology parks nationwide — advantages that give the oil industry’s research and technology sector broad capacity to address challenges.

Fasihi described innovation as “turning science into a marketable product,” adding that by providing nearly 30 specialized commercialization services, the park has created a secure pathway for technologies to enter the oil industry and serves as a hub linking needs with capabilities.

The meeting concluded with a question-and-answer session, followed by visits to technology firms and new technology-based firms based at the PetroPark.