A Case Study on the Intermediary Role of Standardization Agents in Iran’s Innovation Ecosystem: Explaining an Institutional Void

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Technology and Innovation Policy, National Research Institute for Science Policy, Tehran, Iran.

2 Ph.D. of Technology Management, Islamic Azad University Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran

3 Professor, Faculty of Management and Industrial Engineering, Malek Ashtar University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

10.22034/jstp.2025.12026.1919

Abstract

A key structural challenge in Iran's innovation ecosystem is the lack of effective intermediary institutions to operationally support and accompany knowledge-based companies in compliance with standards. Employing an embedded single-case study methodology, this paper examines a specialized standardization firm that acted as an agent of the Vice-Presidency for Science and Technology between 2019 and 2023. The study aims to identify and analyze the intermediary roles played by this company in the standardization and commercialization processes of three technology-based firms. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, participatory observation, and document analysis, and were examined using process tracing and thematic analysis. The findings indicate that this institution played a significant role in the innovation and market-entry pathways of the companies by performing eight intermediary functions: cognitive, knowledge, technical, verification and validation, institutional, network-building, learning, and market-making. These roles were not pre-designed but emerged as gradual and context-driven responses to institutional voids and systemic deficiencies within Iran’s innovation ecosystem. Furthermore, the intensity of the agent’s interventions was influenced by factors such as the degree of product complexity, stage of product development, the stringency of safety requirements and technical regulations, level of technology sophistication, and the specific organizational needs of the firms. By conceptualizing a novel type of intermediary institution engaged in regulatory and standardization activities, this study not only contributes to the literature on innovation intermediaries and reveals existing institutional voids, but also emphasizes the necessity of policy measures to support such institutions, integrate innovation and standardization policies, revise regulatory models, and establish sustainable institutional arrangements to effectively leverage this model within Iran’s innovation ecosystem.

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References

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