Plans and Projects of National Council for Science and Technology Development of Medicinal Plants and Traditional Medicine in 2016

National Council for Science and Technology Development of Medicinal Plants and Traditional Medicine, Vice-presidency for Science and Technology, aligned with its previous proceedings, this year too, will review, modify and update its existing rules, regulations and standards in terms of medicinal plants and traditional medicine.
This council will also endeavor to promote the level of production and commercialization of products and technological items, enhance and develop infrastructures as well as science and technology driving forces, promote the level of solidarity, synergy and coordination within or between organizations. Among other tasks of the National Council for Science and Technology Development of Medicinal Plants and Traditional Medicine, Vice-presidency for Science and Technology, that need to be fulfilled in 2016, are: deepening and developing regional and international activities and collaborations, promoting and developing employment, entrepreneurship and trading, strengthening environmental approaches, as well as consistency and systematic management of resources in scheduling process.
Furthermore, we can point out the 2016 plans of this council as: improving the Islamic Iranian philosophy of traditional medicine with an approach of benefiting from the written heritage in the country, also establishing and promoting monitoring systems, supervising, assessment and functional effectiveness of the related institutes with the National Document.
The following is also among other plans to take place: enhancement and improvement of the rules, regulations and standards, review, modify and update by assisting to compile and publish standards of active compound, medicinal plants and aromatic essential oils, as well as preparation of standards for some important produced plants, aiding with the compilation of educational standards for job and competency, and educational standards for health requirements.
Increasing the Level of Production and Commercialization of Products and Technological Items
Promoting the level of production and commercialization of products and technological items, can only be implemented if, there is a support of the private sectors’ investments in production, commercialization and export, holding of medicinal plants’ technomarkets, backing and resource provision for technological infrastructure development in order to produce herbal medicine and natural-based products that have been approved by Iranian Food and Drug Administration, and interactions for facilitating the issuance of permits, support of veterinary herbal drug production to control natural pesticides, livestock, poultry and aquatic organisms’ diseases.
Enhancing and Developing Infrastructures as well as Science and Technology Driving Forces
Some proceedings that the National Council for Science and Technology Development of Medicinal Plants and Traditional Medicine, Vice-presidency for Science and Technology have considered in order to enhance and develop infrastructures as well as science and technology driving forces, are: supporting laboratory networking in terms of medicinal plants, qualitative and quantitative strengthening and development of National Network of Research and Technology in Medicinal Plants, backing and equipping the reference and acrodite laboratories via Iran High-Tech Laboratory Network and Medicinal Plants Laboratory Network, laying the suitable foundations for the increase in the incubators located in science and research complexes and science and research parks of medicinal plants, natural-based products and herbal medicine.
In addition, we can name the following proceedings: the plan for supporting universities and science and research centers in order to establish and develop infrastructures, aiding to increase the number of research centers and research institutes supported by private sectors in the field of medicinal plants and traditional medicine and helping the increase in scientific production of the country, included in the council containing ISI and science and research papers.
Strengthening and Supporting the Development of Promotion, Education and Culturalization
Strengthening and supporting the development of promotion, education and culturalization will be possible through holding national festivals and exhibitions of medicinal plants, natural-based products and Iranian traditional medicine, backing the national festivals and exhibitions in order to present the achievements of medicinal plants strategic technology, assisting to prepare promotional programs of the national media, encouraging the publication and distribution of technical journals and magazines, aiding to compile educational materials and resources for vocational courses, cooperation to establish and improve educational institutes and workshops for vocational courses, equipping and expanding museums and the study group of the history of medicine and traditional medicine student centers.
Aligned with the aforementioned, one of the most important programs of the National Council for Science and Technology Development of Medicinal Plants and Traditional Medicine, Vice-presidency for Science and Technology, in 2016, is the holding of the third national festival and exhibition on medicinal plants, natural-based products and Iranian traditional medicine in September.
Promoting the Level of Solidarity, Synergy and Coordination Within or Between Organizations
After the compilation of National Document of Medicinal Plants and Traditional Medicine in 2013, operationalization of high level documents and National Document, requires preparation of a road map in order to determine operational projects of ministries, organizations and institutes. Hence, in the National Council for Science and Technology Development of Medicinal Plants and Traditional Medicine, Vice-presidency for Science and Technology, an ad hoc working group for road map started its work. Another one of this council’s plan is to support technical working groups related to the council and back the establishment, expansion and advancement of the valid non-governmental centers and organizations related to medicinal plants.
Deepening and Developing Regional and International Activities and Collaborations
Encouraging the participation of competent knowledge-based companies in international exhibitions, collaborating with Ahl Al-Bayt World Assembly regarding the establishment of medicinal plants and traditional medicine world network in the Islamic countries and supporting the technical visits to foreign companies producing herbal medicine as well as communicating with international traders especially those of East Asian countries and Middle East, are all the missions for the National Council for Science and Technology Development of Medicinal Plants and Traditional Medicine, Vice-presidency for Science and Technology, in 2016, through which the council will be able to develop regional and international activities and collaborations.
Promoting Employment, Entrepreneurship and Trading
Promoting and developing employment, entrepreneurship and trading in medicinal plants and traditional medicine is gained through, the support of qualitative and quantitative development of industrial cultivation and the export of strategic medicinal plants, the promotion of the theoretical capacity of various extracts and essential oils, the aid for the increase in the number of production units of various plant extracts and essential oils.
To fulfill this goal, the National Council for Science and Technology Development of Medicinal Plants and Traditional Medicine, Vice-presidency for Science and Technology, has other plans in 2016, such as: helping the theoretical capacity of human and livestock herbal medicine in the form of tablets, cream, syrup and capsules, comprehensive studies carried out by private and governmental sectors in order to establish entrepreneurship packages in medicinal plants, herbal medicine and natural-based products, backing the establishment of distribution and supply centers for drugs, natural-based and traditional products, and finally primary studies to find talents in provinces.
Strengthening Environmental Approaches, Consistency and Systematic Management of Resources in Scheduling Process
Supporting the active companies in the field of environment, strengthening environmental approaches in the activities of these companies, encouraging and developing a gene bank for a variety of endemic medicinal plant species, or those prone to extinction, the decrease in the harvest areas of nature, using domestication of native and endemic Iranian species, are all among the plans of the National Council for Science and Technology Development of Medicinal Plants and Traditional Medicine, Vice-presidency for Science and Technology, in 2016, through which it can strengthen environmental approaches, consistency and systematic management of resources in scheduling process.
Islamic Iranian Philosophy of Traditional Medicine
The National Council for Science and Technology Development of Medicinal Plants and Traditional Medicine, Vice-presidency for Science and Technology, in order to strengthen Islamic Iranian philosophy of traditional medicine by benefiting from the written heritage in the country, in its 2016 plans, it has included national projects in order to compile, verify, compare, translate, publish and circulate the Iranian scientists’ manuscripts and published works on traditional medicine, in a plan to revive the written heritage.
Other plans include: aiding the increase in the number of majors related to traditional medicine, supporting the establishment of departments for traditional medicine service providers in health and treatment centers, encouraging the establishment of traditional medicine service departments in health care centers, backing the establishment of Iranian traditional medicine health care centers as well as planning and supporting the increase in students of medicine and pharmacy.
Functional Effectiveness of the Related Institutes with the National Document
Another goal of the National Council for Science and Technology for Medicinal Plants and Traditional Medicine, Vice-presidency for Science and Technology, in 2016, is: establishing and promoting monitoring systems, supervising, assessment and functional effectiveness of the related institutes with the National Document. By preparing indexes and comprehensive standards of science and technology monitoring in medicinal plants and traditional medicine and supervising inspections of the institutes, the companies and factories manufacturing drugs and natural-based products, this council tries to meet the aforementioned goal.