Highlights of Day 3 at INOTEX 2025: From Vice President’s Visit to Energy Imbalance Solutions

On the third day of INOTEX 2025, held on April 30, 2025, Vice President for Science, Technology, and Knowledge-Based Economy Hossein Afshin visited the exhibition, unveiled three innovative products, and emphasized networking between academia and the innovation ecosystem, while international agreements and expert panels tackled critical topics like energy imbalance and crowdfunding.

 
The third day of INOTEX 2025, Iran’s largest innovation and technology exhibition, kicked off with a special visit from Hossein Afshin, Vice President for Science, Technology, and Knowledge-Based Economy. During his tour of the exhibition booths, Afshin unveiled three cutting-edge products at the Pioneers Pavilion: a Processing and Storage Server, a Smart Physical Asset Performance Management System, and an Industrial Electrical Heater.

Afshin on Networking for Innovation
Commenting on the significance of INOTEX, Afshin described it as the largest exhibition for knowledge-based companies in Iran. He highlighted the goal of fostering connections between academic centers, talented human resources, and the knowledge-based ecosystem through networking initiatives.

International Cooperation Agreements
Several memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were signed between Iranian and foreign companies on this day. One notable MoU was between Iran’s Radin Zist Yakhteh Company, specializing in microbiology and laboratory equipment, and Dr. Sultan Habibullah Khan from Pakistan, Director of the Center for Advanced Studies in Agriculture and Food Security and Professor at Faisalabad University of Agriculture. The agreement focuses on the design and production of a single-tube PCR kit, with the concept proposed by the Pakistani side and technical execution handled by the Iranian company.

Another MoU was signed between Iran’s Altin Kaghaz Company and a delegation from Uzbekistan, centering on joint cooperation in paper production in Tajikistan. Altin Kaghaz presented a plan to establish a paper production factory in Tajikistan, with implementation led by the Iranian company. The Uzbek side expressed interest in investing, with the initial investment estimated at approximately $2,000. This agreement marks an initial step toward enhancing regional economic cooperation.

Specialized Panels at Governance and Legislation Forum
The Governance and Legislation Forum hosted several specialized panels on day three, covering topics such as social capital from a cognitive science perspective, crowdfunding as an investment solution, legislative gaps in emerging job sectors, and solutions for energy imbalance through optimization market development.

Energy Subsidies and Social Justice in Energy Imbalance Panel
Dr. Maleki Shariati Niasar, a member of the Parliament’s Energy Commission, participated in the energy imbalance solutions panel, stressing the need for energy subsidies for households to reduce economic pressure. He advocated for equitable energy consumption management through universal household energy subsidy quotas and called for the elimination of energy subsidies for government sectors, proposing management through energy service companies. He urged the government to move toward operational energy policies, ensuring subsidies reach intermediaries before final consumers.

Crowdfunding as an Effective Investment Tool
In the Crowdfunding Panel, Mojtaba Zare Mehrjerdi, Deputy of Investment at the Innovation and Prosperity Fund, highlighted equity-based crowdfunding as an effective method to attract investors and support startups. He announced the fund’s readiness to assist crowdfunding platforms, emphasizing the importance of guaranteeing principal investment and enhancing security. The fund introduced two new services: a “reinsurance guarantor” for research and technology funds and a commitment to cover up to 70% of the required resources for knowledge-based projects, aiming to lower financing costs and improve conditions for companies and platforms.

Hamed Rafiei, Head of the Financing and Investment Development Center at the Vice Presidency for Science, also spoke at the panel, affirming the Vice Presidency’s readiness to collaborate on expanding crowdfunding. While noting growth in this area, he pointed out that only one crowdfunding model is currently utilized, underscoring the need to explore diverse financing stages. Rafiei added that crowdfunding currently does not support production and is largely limited to commerce, but the Vice Presidency is prepared to support high-potential companies and plan for crowdfunding market development.

Investment Café: A Unique Opportunity for Startups
At the heart of INOTEX 2025, the Investment Café event offered a dynamic platform for startups. Hanieh Sadeghi, Senior Corporate Brand Manager at Karen, the event’s main organizer, described Investment Café as more than just an event—it’s a complete investment attraction process, from initial calls for participation to post-exhibition follow-ups to finalize negotiations between startups and investors. Over 100 teams registered this year, with 41 investment-ready projects selected after rigorous screening and introduced to 38 investors for B2B meetings.

Blockchain and Digital Trends Explored
A panel titled “Blockchain: From a Complex World to Everyday Life” examined digital transformations and web trends, focusing on data ownership in the web, future digital landscapes, and blockchain applications. Experts predicted that by 2030, robots will make decisions in many fields, replacing human intervention.

Fintech Challenges and Digital Trade Growth
During the INOTEX 2025 Stage event, Moslem Rezapour, Deputy of Business Development at Sepehr Electronic Payment Company, addressed fintech challenges and the need to increase digital trade’s share in Iran’s GDP. He noted that current regulations are more controlling than facilitative, advocating for a supportive approach. While global digital trade is growing, Iran’s share is only 4% of the retail market, highlighting the urgent need for regulatory reform and collaboration between traditional financial institutions and fintechs.

Media Hub Hosts TrigUp Accelerator Press Conference
The Media Hub hosted a press conference with Mohammad Sadegh Sobhani, CEO of TrigUp Accelerator, who introduced a new support model called Micro VC for startups. Designed for better service delivery and closer oversight, this investment model uses less capital than previous approaches. Nasim Nemati, TrigUp’s Investment Manager, emphasized that Micro VC helps startups secure funding faster while benefiting investors. TrigUp also offers specialized training from idea to product, having worked on 4 ideas so far, with 2 nearing contract finalizations, aiming to nurture ideas to maturity in the market.