CONNECT

In December 2015, the "Connect" platform for cooperation with Iranian elites and entrepreneurs residing outside the country was launched through the collaboration and participation of 10 of the most prominent Iranian scholars and researchers from top universities abroad. This program was designed to establish a transparent and agile mechanism to harness the scientific, specialized, and valuable experiences of top Iranian researchers, experts, and entrepreneurs abroad. The program aimed to address fundamental challenges identified by Iranian elites interested in collaborating with the country, including the absence of a specific mechanism for connecting with selected scientific and technological institutions, insufficient familiarity with the country's scientific and technological status in specialized fields, time-consuming processes for document verification and admission to universities, livelihood issues, and military service obligations. It successfully bridged the communication gap between Iranian elites and scientists abroad and over 100 scientific and technological centers, including top universities, research institutes, technology parks, and selected domestic start-up companies, in the shortest possible time (25 working days). Additionally, it acquainted experts and scientists with the available capacities in various scientific and technological fields and defined the process of collaboration with these centers before they entered into the country, to facilitate the transfer of skills, methods, and innovative services to the country.

CONNECT⁺

In order to enhance the impact of Connect program elites on the development of the country's technology and innovation ecosystem, positive changes have been introduced in the policies of this program, designed as part of the Connect⁺ project. One of the sub-branches of the Connect program, Connect Plus, is the comprehensive system of elites' resume bank called Connect Doc, which was established in 2023 with the aim of facilitating effective communication between elitess and industry. Considering that finding top and capable elites for technology development and addressing existing industrial challenges is a difficult and costly process for companies, the potential capacity of Connect Plus program elites can play a significant role in this regard. By placing elites' resumes on the system and enabling organizations and companies to search for experts in various fields, an appropriate platform for collaboration between alitess and large and small businesses will be provided. It is hoped that these collaborations will lead to further and faster development and progress of the country in the fourth industrial revolution.