Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei: Scientific and Technological Advancement
By Dr Haroon Aziz, South Africa
Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei paid special attention to the ongoing and organised reproduction of scientists and other professionals from the ranks of young and gifted students. It was called the National Elites Foundation (NEF) or Bonyad-e Melli-e Nokhebegan (2005).
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Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei paid special attention to the ongoing and organised reproduction of scientists and other professionals from the ranks of young and gifted students. It was called the National Elites Foundation (NEF) or Bonyad-e Melli-e Nokhebegan (2005).
In the 1990s the Islamic Republic was losing its highly qualified professionals to the West. NEF successfully halted this trend and began the process of creating and preserving its own intellectuals. They were developed and nurtured as a values-based professional elite, committed to serve the Iranian nation. They evolved into the brainbox of wealth creation.
The Ayatollah met with elite and top scientific talents (2 October 2024) in an interactive meeting. They raised new theoretical and practical ideas about industry, economy, and the humanities. He raised three points: the merit and capability of Iranians; how to multiply the elites; and the duty and responsibilities of the elites, which are greater than those of average people.
He treated the elites as national and natural assets. The process of elite formation are natural, social, contractual, organizational and more. Their human power is needed to exploit the mines, geographical position, and other natural resources for public good.
The 2025 Country IQ Index ranks Iran 7th (www.worldpopulationreview).
After the Islamic Revolution of 1979 the youth in the Jihad of Construction courageously built a small wheat silo. They now build large silos with built-in modern technology, which are part of the infrastructure of food security. It is a way to retain expertise in Iran.
He said, ‘Many of our young people have achieved good positions and ranks in science but they are not satisfied; they wish to research.’ Another important area for them is the formation of think tanks. The speed of the new scientific surge has to be increased to surpass rivals and adversaries and achieve scientific and technological superiority. The evidence for which are now demonstrably evident in the development of vaccines, military software and hardware, and other fields.
He recommended that the elites play a role in increasing the number of knowledge-based companies to excess of the current 30000 as an honour, according to strict evaluation criteria. These innovative companies are part of the global value-adding supply chain.
