Tehran, November 14, The Iran Project- A senior official of the Innovation and Prosperity Fund (IPF) says Iran is ready to expand�ties with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), which is one of the UN General Assembly organs dealing with trade, investment and development issues.�

Speaking in a meeting with UNCTAD members on Saturday, Behzad Soltani, head of IPF presented a report about�Iran's government measures to support the newly established knowledge based firms, saying that the fund has financially support some 585 firms since its establishment.

He predicted further state�support of the firms, adding that IPF welcome any opportunity to grow and develop the knowledge based economy and the firms' effective participation in both region and the world.

"The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and Innovation and Prosperity Fund cooperation is an instrument which accelerates the progress toward that goal," Soltani added elsewhere in his remarks.

In this meeting, Angel Gonz�lez Sanz, the chief of UNCTAD�s science, technology and ICT expressed surprise over Iranian knowledge based firms capabilities, introducing it a successful example for other developing countries.