FNA - Iranian Vice-President for Science and Technology Sorena Sattari announced that Iran is the most developed country in the region in production of science.

"Iran ranks first in science in the region by having nearly 4,000 knowledge-based companies," Sattari told reporters in the Southern city of Bushehr on Monday.

He added that the knowledge-based companies in Iran have sold nearly 600,000bln rials (about $6bln) worth of their products last year, expressing the hope that the figure will increase by the end of the Iranian year (March 20).

Sattari had announced in December that Iran stood atop the nations of the region in the production of science and technology.

"Now, Iran ranks first in the region in science and technology," Sattari said, addressing a forum on stem cells in Tehran.

He also referred to Iran's huge progress in the field of stem cells, and said that the country had been able to take over Turkey and Israel in this field.

Sattari underscored that Iran's progress in the field of stem cells and regenerative medicine had opened a door to the development of knowledge-based economy.

Also, in June, Sattari underlined that Iran's international ranking in science production had risen from 34th to 16th.

"Iran ranks first in West Asia in terms of science output with the number of its college students rising to 4.8 million from 2.4 million," Sattari said, addressing the second Iran-Europe Cooperation Conference in Brussels, Belgium.

He reiterated that Iran had made great progress in the fields of biotechnology, renewable energy, nanotechnology and stem cells.

Sattari said that there were 47 million internet users in Iran who constitute nearly half of the total Internet users in the Middle East, and added, "Iran ranks first in the Middle East for production of biological drugs."

He said that Iran had one of the most successful biotech companies with young and skilled staff aged 33 on the average which exported biological drugs to 10 countries, Sattari said.

Of 39 technology parks existing in Iran, Paris Park is one of the largest in West Asia which houses 200 companies and some of them export advanced technological products, he added.