Technology Development Headquarters for Optics and Quantum Technologies
In 1396 (Solar Hijri calendar, equivalent to 2017-2018), the global market value of the photonics field exceeded $500 billion. According to official statistics from the European Union, this industry has employed more than 300,000 people in over 5,000 small and medium-sized companies in Europe alone. According to the World Bank, the rate of growth in the value of this industry surpasses the average rate of global gross production. Photonics technology is categorized as one of the six enabling technologies in Europe, which has had the most leverage on the growth of other technologies in European Union studies.
Photonics applications are highly diverse, including in communications (making optical networks more transparent, faster, and resilient, expanding the communication market), industrial design and production (cutting, engraving, coating, material processing, additive manufacturing, etc.), medicine (pre-clinical research, tumor diagnostics, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases, imaging, and neurological monitoring), sensing and measurement (various sensors needed for industries, machine vision, remote sensing, etc.), as well as in the energy sector (photovoltaics), education and research (measurement, scanning, etc.), and as a key enabler for other technologies. Advanced materials are also key to technology development and wealth creation in countries. The field of advanced materials technology includes metals, ceramics, polymers, advanced composites, and their manufacturing processes. The development of many advanced technologies (such as aerospace, renewable energy, microelectronics, biotechnology, etc.) largely depends on access to advanced materials and related technologies. Furthermore, one of the fundamental needs of a country is investment in advanced optical materials, especially in the field of photonic and optical infrastructure.
Given the importance of this issue and the interest of the Vice Presidency for Science, Technology, and Knowledge-Based Economy of the Presidency, in February 2016 and May 2016, two technology development headquarters were formed to organize and support the improvement of production, commercialization, technology development, and infrastructure in these two important areas. Over the course of about three years, these two headquarters made maximum efforts to support the achievement of six missions: promoting a culture of science, technology, and entrepreneurship; facilitating domestic and international scientific and technological exchanges and collaborations; developing strategic technologies tailored to the country's needs; promoting technology in existing industries and developing new knowledge-based businesses; and expanding the market for knowledge-based products in the relevant specialty areas.
Support for technology development projects of knowledge-based companies, taking into account domestic needs and demands; support for organizing national and international conferences, panels, seminars, workshops, exhibitions, and conferences at various levels, including students, faculty, teachers, and industries; drafting a preliminary draft of the relevant roadmap and obtaining its approval in the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution; drafting a preliminary draft of the national roadmap for the development of 3D printing technology in Iran and pursuing its approval; supporting the establishment of scientific and professional associations, supporting the establishment and equipping of the institute; creating and developing a network of technological interactions, communications, and technological collaborations at the domestic and international levels; inviting international scientific and technological centers to visit Iran and participate in related domestic events and programs; identifying and attracting outstanding non-resident university and business experts; defining and supporting joint technology exchange projects, and more, were among the efforts and actions of these two headquarters.
With changes in the policies of the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology of the Presidency, these two headquarters merged in November 2018, and the Technology Development Headquarters for Optics, Lasers, Advanced Materials, and Manufacturing assumed responsibility for guiding, policy-making, and coordinating the development of technology in these two strategic areas in the country. However, given the global estimates of massive investments and strategies in the field of emerging quantum technologies, especially after the second quantum revolution, particularly in prominent and developed countries such as Canada, China, the United Kingdom, Singapore, the Netherlands, Germany, etc., in February 2022, the Technology Development Headquarters for Optics, Lasers, Advanced Materials, and Manufacturing began its background studies for achieving technical and scientific knowledge of quantum technologies and officially started its activities in May 2022, with the establishment of two quantum technology scientific hubs at Sharif University of Technology and Isfahan University.
In May 2023, given the new policies of the Vice Presidency for Science, Technology, and Knowledge-Based Economy of the Presidency to better focus on scientific branches, the Technology Development Headquarters for Optics, Lasers, Advanced Materials, and Manufacturing was divided into two technology development headquarters: the Technology Development Headquarters for Optics and Quantum Technologies and the Technology Development Headquarters for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing. The former directly supports quantum technology areas such as quantum computing, quantum sensors, quantum encryption, quantum communications, etc., as well as the areas of lasers and photonics such as measurement and detection, laser materials processing, biophotonics, light sources, terahertz, plasma, and all product-oriented projects related to these two technology fields.
