Title: The condition of science, technology and innovation policy in Iran: a historical evolutionary perspective based on network governance

Authors: Mehdi Mohammadi; Mohammad Mahdi Zolfagharzadeh; Ali Zackery; Zohreh Karimmian

Addresses: STI Policy and Management, College of Management, University of Tehran, The Intersection of Chamran Highway and Jalal Al Ahmad St., Tehran, 1411713114, Iran ' Public Policy and Management, College of Management, University of Tehran, The Intersection of Chamran highway and Jalal Al Ahmad St., Tehran, 1411713114, Iran ' Faculty of Engineering, Department of Industrial Engineering and Futures Studies, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, 8174673441, Iran ' Faculty of Management, Economics and Accounting, STI Policy and Management, Islamic Azad University (South Tehran Branch), Tehran, 1717734353, Iran

Abstract: This paper analyses science, technology, and innovation (STI) policy making in Iran between 1990 and 2022 using the network governance approach. Four phases of STI policy are identified: human resources and publication boom, agencification era, comprehensiveness quest, and innovation turn. The analysis shows a low degree of decentralisation, good coordination, and successful interdisciplinary collaboration. However, challenges such as the pipeline model of innovation, performance measurement politics, and controversial government and university roles hinder policy reform. To create a national innovation system, a normative turn toward a broader societal definition of innovation is recommended, and the government should shift its role to facilitator rather than interventionist.

Keywords: STI policy; governance framework; network governance; historical perspective; evolutionary analysis; Iran' STI landscape; Iran.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTPM.2025.145505

International Journal of Technology, Policy and Management, 2025 Vol.25 No.1, pp.1 - 27

Received: 25 Jun 2023
Accepted: 24 Dec 2023
Published online: 02 Apr 2025 *

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