The present study was conducted in Semnan Science and Technology Park and aimed to analyze the relationship among intellectual property rights, open innovation, and organizational performance of 30 New Technology Based Firms (NTBFs). Senior managers, middle managers, and business owners were considered as appropriate respondents for study. A total of 140 questionnaires were distributed among the respondents, and 126 filled questionnaires were returned. The research method used in this study is descriptive-correlation and the analysis was carried out utilizing Structural Equation Modeling. The factors analysis and the findings show that intellectual property rights have a significant positive relationship with open innovation. Further, open innovation has a significant positive relationship with organizational performance. Moreover, no significant relationship between intellectual property rights and organizational performance was established. But, intellectual property rights affect organizational performance positively, through open innovation acting as a mediator.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide an ambitious agenda to end poverty and its dimensions and a sustainable, prosperous, and fair future. The aim of our paper is to assess the significance of SDGs from the perspective of Iran. To this end, the method of ISM has been used to express the interrelationships between SDGs. Besides, MICMAC method was utilized to assess dependence and driving power of every SDG. By data analyzing, SDGs were classified into six different levels and were modeled according to the interrelationships between them. Variables then were divided into three groups of dependent, independent/driving, communication, and autonomous variables, and no variable was included in the group of linkage variables. The findings show that SDGs12 and SDGs4 are the most fundamental goals of sustainable development, considering the needs, development stages, capacities of Iran. Achieving them is the basis for achieving other goals.

Purpose This paper aims at identifying knowledge creation and diffusion challenges and explaining their causal relationship in renewable energy technologies in Iran. Design/methodology/approach By reviewing literature of renewable energy technologies development, key knowledge creation and diffusion challenges are extracted. Then, the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory method is used to investigate the cause-effect relationships as well as the influence structure of aforementioned challenges in Iran. Findings The results indicate that lack of specialized higher education and research institutions (C4), limited international product development and technological cooperation with international pioneer firms (C8), insufficient international research interactions of institutions and academic research centres (C6), tight and temporary subsidies to domestic institutes (C13), limited and non-systematic government grants (C14), insufficient tax incentives with low impact on investment (C12), weak enforcement of intellectual property rights (C5), low number and relatively poor performance of NGOs and scientific and trade associations (C19) and the limited number of conferences, workshops, meetings and specialized journals (C15) are among the most instrumental challenges of knowledge creation and diffusion of renewable energy technologies development in Iran. Originality/value This paper identifies knowledge creation and diffusion challenges of renewable energy technologies development in Iran, which is applicable for other developing countries. It also analyses the interrelationship and causal effect between challenges which is a neglected issue in the literature and has beneficial theoretical and policy implications.

Apart from “future-shaping” tools (such as forecasting, scenario planning, etc.), many countries also use “backward-looking” approaches to develop long-term strategies for switching to a new economic model. A retrospective assessment of accomplishments and failures (or policy learning, PL) helps learn lessons, and improve the effectiveness of innovation policy. Using the example of Iran, the paper examines the use of PL to assess key initiatives in the field of science, technology, and innovation over the past two decades. Field research allowed to identify the main policy goals, analyse their evolution and the changes in the perception of previously made decisions by politicians themselves. The active use of technical and conceptual PL indicates a relative progress in adjusting the policy vector. At the same time partisan policy learning remains common, applied to legitimise the current course, which indicates insufficient maturity of Iran’s political system (as is the case in many other developing countries). It is concluded that to make real progress and increase the effectiveness of innovation policy, technical, conceptual, and social PL should be applied, while keeping the use of partisan policy learning at the minimum.

The present study was conducted in Iran and aimed to analyze the relationships among technology acquisition & exploitation, organizational innovation, and organizational performance. We selected 80 knowledge-intensive organizations as statistical population of the study. Executive managers, senior managers, operational managers, and R&D managers of the companies were considered as appropriate respondents for this study. After the distribution of 320 questionnaires among the respondents, 280 usable questionnaires were gathered. The analysis was done utilizing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) methodology by LISREL software. The factors analysis and the findings show that technology acquisition & exploitation has a significant positive influence on both organizational innovation and organizational performance. Further, organizational innovation has a significant positive impact on organizational performance.