From Atom to Apex: How Nanotech Is Transforming Iran’s Economy? / 102% Market Growth in 2024
Tehran - BORNA - In many countries, advanced technologies—particularly those that bridge science, industry, the economy, and everyday life—have become strategic tools for redefining national competitive advantages. Nanotechnology is one such field: not only does it represent cutting-edge scientific innovation, but it also carries the potential to transform production chains, enhance productivity, reduce technological dependency, and create new export markets.
Globally, nanotechnology is recognized as one of the most advanced and forward-looking scientific domains, playing a vital role in the development of emerging industries, improving product quality, and generating added value. Countries around the world are investing in this field to secure their positions in the knowledge-based economy—and Iran is no exception.
Over the past two decades, Iran has recognized this potential and, through relatively consistent policies, has prioritized nanotechnology as a key component of its science and technology strategy. However, as the country enters the third decade of its national nano development efforts, the focus has shifted from building infrastructure and publishing research to generating economic value and delivering tangible impact on national challenges.
The expectation today is not merely to maintain Iran’s scientific ranking or to boost academic output, but to measure nanotechnology's contribution to market growth, resource efficiency, quality of life, and industrial competitiveness.
A major turning point in this trajectory was the ratification of Iran’s National Document for the Development of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in November 2022. This 10-year strategic roadmap envisions nanotechnology not just as a scientific endeavor but as a multi-dimensional, systemic instrument for industrial, economic, and social advancement. It outlines key goals such as improving industrial efficiency, reducing foreign currency dependency, expanding exports, and enhancing health and environmental indicators.
In parallel, the development of micro-technologies has also been placed on the national agenda as a complementary component within the advanced technology ecosystem. However, challenges remain—including the limited scope of market applications, the persistent gap between academic research and industrial uptake, and the lack of impact data regarding education and workforce development. These issues call for revised strategic planning and targeted policy reform.
The annual performance report of Iran’s Nanotechnology Development Headquarters is one of the first official sources that provides a concrete evaluation of progress toward these strategic goals. According to official data, in the year 1403 (2024–2025), Iran succeeded in maintaining its global standing in nanoscience publication, more than doubled its domestic nano market size, and recorded significant growth in nanotechnology exports.
Moreover, the emergence of innovative, patentable nano-products underscores the growing maturity of Iran’s nanotech ecosystem. At the same time, persistent structural challenges—such as market concentration in limited sectors, weak commercialization links, low private investment, and incomplete educational effectiveness data—highlight the urgent need for policy refinement.
This article explores the multifaceted performance of Iran’s nanotechnology sector in 1403, including its scientific standing, market development, export growth, innovation capacity, support mechanisms, and broader economic and social outcomes.
Sustained Scientific Output with Rising Quality
According to Web of Science data, Iranian researchers published 10,860 nanotechnology-related articles in 2024, securing the country’s sixth-place global ranking. This accounts for 4.2 percent of all nanotech publications worldwide and constitutes 18.5 percent of Iran’s total scientific output across disciplines.
In terms of quality, Iran continues to make notable progress. Out of the total publications, 4,615 were featured in Q1 journals—those within the top 25% of their respective fields. Although this figure reflects a slight decline of 2 percent compared to the previous year, the proportion of Q1 articles among all Iranian publications grew, signaling an upward trend in quality-focused research.
Moreover, Iran ranked 12th globally in the five-year h-index for nanotechnology, a metric that combines both productivity and citation impact. This improvement is not coincidental. It is the outcome of policies that promote publication in high-impact journals, actively guide graduate students toward nanotechnology-oriented theses, and expand international collaborations.
Yet, one persistent challenge remains: ensuring that these scientific advancements are effectively translated into solutions for national challenges. While the volume and quality of research are impressive, the connection between these efforts and their practical application in industry and society still requires further strengthening.
From Research to Revenue: A Doubling of the Nanotech Market
Perhaps the most striking development in 1403 was the exponential growth of Iran’s nanotechnology market. The total market value for Iranian-made nanotech products reached 618 trillion Iranian rials—approximately 1.23 billion US dollars. This represents an astounding 102 percent increase compared to the previous year.
This surge reflects a significant shift from theoretical and laboratory research to real-world commercialization. Today, more than 438 knowledge-based companies are actively engaged in nanotechnology production and services. These firms are most concentrated in five key sectors: nano-coatings, construction materials, industrial equipment, healthcare applications, and environmental technologies.
According to the report, 90.8 percent of the total sales occurred within the domestic market, while 9.2 percent came from international exports. Export revenue in 2023 was recorded at 145.1 million US dollars—almost double the previous year’s figure—highlighting growing global demand for Iranian nanotech solutions.
Despite this remarkable progress, the composition of the market reveals a degree of concentration. Nano-coatings and construction materials dominate, accounting for 41 percent and 34.7 percent of the total market share, respectively. While this indicates technological maturity in these sectors, it also points to the urgent need for diversification into areas such as energy, biotechnology, and precision agriculture.
Innovation as a Marker of Maturity
A key indicator of technological sophistication is the ability to develop innovative products that are competitive on the global stage. In 1403, several Iranian nanotech products demonstrated this capacity by achieving levels of performance and novelty that position them for international patenting.
Among these innovations is a graphene-reinforced lead-acid battery, offering enhanced energy density and lifecycle performance—an attractive feature for industries reliant on energy storage. Another notable development is a granular nano-adsorbent designed to remove arsenic from drinking water at neutral pH, boasting three times the efficiency of comparable international products.
Iranian researchers also developed a radiopharmaceutical agent, Technetium-99m Tilmanocept, for accurate lymph node imaging in oncology, as well as therapeutic nanobubbles capable of traversing the blood-brain barrier. The latter combines focused ultrasound with nanotechnology to offer a novel approach for treating Alzheimer’s disease.
These achievements suggest a growing capacity within Iran’s nanotech sector to meet the rigorous standards of high-precision industries such as medical diagnostics, advanced materials, and environmental remediation.
Macroeconomic Value: Savings and Substitution
The cumulative economic benefits of nanotechnology in Iran are increasingly visible. Between 2015 and 2023, domestic nanotech production saved the country approximately 854 million US dollars in foreign currency. These savings were achieved by replacing imported technologies with locally produced nanocatalysts, nanodrugs, industrial filters, thermal insulation, and power-plant refractory materials.
In healthcare, the introduction of domestically developed nanodrugs such as Cynadoxosome, Paclinib, and Padinex significantly reduced the need for high-cost imports. These drugs, primarily used in cancer treatment, have also improved patient access to advanced therapies. According to the report, these efforts led to health insurance savings estimated at 1,400 billion IRR and energy cost reductions totaling approximately 4,700 billion IRR.
Nanotechnology’s contribution to agriculture is equally impressive. The use of slow-release nanofertilizers and nanobubble technologies for irrigation has resulted in a 40 percent reduction in energy consumption and a 12 percent increase in greenhouse productivity. These applications have also lowered the costs associated with providing clean drinking water in rural and semi-arid areas.
Human Capital and Educational Infrastructure
The long-term success of Iran’s nanotech strategy depends heavily on cultivating a skilled and motivated workforce. Since 2007, more than 1.2 million high school students have received education in nanotechnology, supported by the design and implementation of school curricula.
In 1403 alone, over 40,000 students participated in the national Nanotech Olympiad. A total of 15 Olympiads have been held to date, serving as both educational milestones and talent identification mechanisms.
In parallel, 83 public training courses, 85 student-centered events, and 148 active laboratories were organized under the Tavana and Nano networks. These programs aim to democratize access to nanotechnology knowledge and foster early engagement in scientific research.
At the university level, nearly 49,000 nanotech-focused theses and research projects have been completed. Institutions such as the University of Tehran, Sharif University of Technology, Amirkabir University, and Iran University of Science and Technology have received the bulk of research funding, positioning them as national hubs of nanotech innovation.
However, a critical gap persists: there is no comprehensive data on the long-term outcomes of these training programs. Metrics such as job placement, entrepreneurial activity, and retention in nanotech-related fields remain underreported, limiting the ability to assess the return on investment in human capital.
Support Ecosystems and Policy Instruments
To accelerate the commercialization of nanotech innovations, the Nanotechnology Headquarters has launched a suite of support mechanisms. Programs like Akam (an accelerator for nanotech startups), Icon (a semi-industrial scaling platform), and Café Capital (a matchmaking platform for innovators and investors) have begun to yield promising results.
In 1403, these initiatives supported more than 130 businesses and facilitated over 430 billion IRR in joint investments. They have also helped create pathways from research labs to market-ready products, albeit with some persistent challenges in bridging early-stage development and large-scale market integration.
Barriers to Broader Impact
Despite notable accomplishments, the nanotechnology sector in Iran still faces several structural and strategic challenges. The most pressing of these include:
Over-concentration in a limited number of product categories and industries
Gaps between academic research and commercial patenting
Weak participation by the private investment sector
Absence of transparent, longitudinal data on workforce and entrepreneurial outcomes
These issues underscore the need for strategic recalibration of policies to foster diversity, enhance research-industry linkage, incentivize private capital, and build mechanisms for tracking long-term impact.
A Call for Strategic Integration
As Iran’s nanotechnology journey enters a new phase, the question is no longer whether the country can compete scientifically—it already does. The question is whether it can translate scientific strength into systemic economic and social transformation.
A Time for Bold Decisions
An in-depth review of Iran’s nanotechnology performance in the year 1403 (2024–2025) reveals that the field has reached a new level of maturity—one that allows it to simultaneously play scientific, economic, and societal roles. Securing the 6th global rank in nanoscience publications, doubling the domestic nano market, expanding exports significantly, developing high-impact innovations, and strengthening support mechanisms all stand as key achievements of this period.
Additionally, foreign currency savings, improved agricultural productivity, reduced healthcare costs, and the emergence of a national innovation ecosystem offer concrete evidence of nanotechnology's growing impact on people’s lives and the broader economy.
Yet, structural challenges remain. The market’s overconcentration in a few sectors, the persistent gap between academic research and commercialization, limited private-sector investment, and a lack of comprehensive data on workforce effectiveness continue to cast uncertainty over the sector’s sustained growth. Moving forward will require a redesign of support policies, stronger university–industry linkages, and a shift away from viewing technological progress purely through statistical achievements.
Today, nanotechnology stands at a crossroads, with the real potential to become a national strategic advantage. But realizing this transformation demands determination, coordination, and bold decision-making. Has the time not come for nanotechnology to move beyond being a scientific priority and take its place as a national priority in Iran’s economic and industrial policy? And when will the full potential of nanotechnology be seen—not just on paper, but in the everyday lives of Iranian citizens?
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