Analyzing the List of Knowledge-Based Goods and Services in Iran: A Typology of Challenges and Expected Functions

In recent years, since the enactment of the "Law on Support for Knowledge-Based Companies and Institutions and Commercialization of Innovations and Inventions," the "List of Knowledge-Based Goods and Services" has played a decisive role in resource allocation and steering Iran's innovation ecosystem as a key instrument in implementing this law. However, for various reasons, such as ambiguity in its underlying rationale, this list has posed challenges at the policy-making, implementation, and evaluation levels. The present study was conducted using a mixed-methods (qualitative-quantitative) approach with the aim of critically evaluating this list and identifying stakeholders' expected functions.
In the qualitative phase, through 27 in-depth interviews with experts and key stakeholders, alongside thematic analysis using MAXQDA software, a set of 25 core challenges and 9 strategic functions were extracted. In the quantitative phase, a specialized questionnaire was designed based on the qualitative findings; subsequently, the opinions of 35 experts and stakeholders were collected and analyzed based on a typology of challenges (evaluated by prevalence and importance) and a typology of functions (evaluated by importance and feasibility).
The findings indicate that the most prominent challenges confronting the list include ambiguity in its formulation rationale, limitations in categorizing multi-technology products, and the neglect of its potential functions. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that in addition to its foundational role in identifying knowledge-based products, this list can assume functions such as guiding companies, facilitating inquiry processes, and promoting the knowledge-based concept. Accordingly, revising the structure of the list by adopting a matrix approach based on multi-dimensional labeling, aligned with national needs and international requirements, is an inevitable necessity.