Macro Project Proposal "Science and Technology Indicators and Priorities Monitoring In Iran"

<p dir="ltr">The expansion of research, technology, and innovation is rarely the result of the activities of an individual or a specific organization (in isolation) and is mostly the outcome of a network of components and the necessary relationships among these components. The efficiency and effectiveness of the research and technology system in advancing related goals depend on monitoring and evaluating the status of progress and the level of expenditure in the objectives, characteristics, and priorities of science and technology in the country at various levels, as well as providing timely feedback to guide future policymaking. Studying the research systems of advanced countries in various fields of science and technology, such as Germany, the United States, and England, shows that although research management in these countries is decentralized, the main factor in maintaining coherence and unity in directing research actors is the use of effective monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. On the other hand, maintaining and continuing the functionality of the comprehensive scientific map requires monitoring and controlling the progress of implementing the map within the anticipated time frame, and this monitoring and oversight should be such that in the event of any impactful changes in assumptions and environmental conditions, these changes are identified and analyzed in the shortest possible time, and the relevant authorities are informed of the necessary corrective actions for approval. Additionally, in the fifth program for the country's economic, social, and cultural development, establishing a unified monitoring and evaluation system for the country's science and technology under the supervision of the Supreme Council of Science, Research, and Technology, in coordination with the Statistical Center of Iran, is aimed at monitoring the scientific status of the country on a national, regional, and international scale and determining the level of achievement of the goals set forth in higher-level documents based on a comprehensive and dynamic system of registered statistics, and providing an annual report to the Education and Research Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly. In this regard, the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology, based on its mandates, is tasked with evaluating science and technology, and the direct responsibility for measuring and evaluating science, technology, and innovation at the national level has been assigned to this ministry. Furthermore, in the mandates, goals, or activities of some institutions and organizations (such as the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution and the Statistical Center of Iran), as well as some institutions and centers under the supervision of the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology (such as the Institute for Information Science and Technology of Iran and the Center for Scientific Policy Research of the country), the evaluation of science and technology or innovation is also considered. In this context, it is necessary for an organization to independently evaluate and assess the status of the characteristics of science and technology and the priorities of science and technology outlined in the comprehensive scientific map of the country using scientific methods, and to provide the results of investigations and analyses for use in decision-making by senior decision-makers and policymakers in this field. According to the charter of the Institute for Information Science and Technology of Iran, the goal of this institute is to conduct research activities in the field of information dissemination and the collection and dissemination of scientific information to meet informational needs in this area and to strive to create a national information network.</p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><p dir="ltr">This institute is also responsible for establishing a national research information management system (SIMAT) based on the resolution of the Supreme Council of Science, Research, and Technology. With the launch of the SIMAT system and its utilization in the field of research and the collection of sectoral and national indicators, it enables the analysis of information related to the country's science and technology system, and this foundational infrastructure can be used for monitoring and evaluating the status of science and technology in the country, especially in the context of policies, programs, documents, characteristics, and priorities.</p><p><br></p><p dir="ltr">Given the issues and questions facing the country's research and technology system, the proposal for a comprehensive monitoring plan for the characteristics and priorities of science and technology in the country aims to optimize the potential use of it by policymakers, analysts, managers, and the scientific community of the country, supporting the information system, updating, and monitoring the science and technology of the country, and facilitating the complete implementation of the comprehensive scientific map of the country and the future development in the field of science and technology. This plan, through the aggregation and integration of existing capabilities and proposals related to monitoring, studying expectations, and needs in this field, has been formulated. The objective of this applied research is to monitor the status of the characteristics and priorities of science and technology defined in the comprehensive scientific map of the country within the framework of the national SIMAT system and in an integrated manner with other data of the country's science and technology system.</p>