Strategies for Developing Science and Technology in Regenerative Medicine in Iran: Using SWOT Analysis and Innovation System in Instituational Mapping Framework

Policymaking in order to develop new science and technologies (S&T) requires a good perception of the current status based on the special situations in the country. Regenerative medicine as a new S&T field with its enormous impacts on health and its sizable and fast-growing market is not an exception. Thus, the aim of this article, is to propose some strategies to develop S&T in regenerative medicine in Iran that are aligned with the upstream documents for developing S&T. To achieve this goal, at the first step, SWOT analysis is applied using experts' comments to reach to some insights of the current situation and some proportional strategies from crossing strengths and weaknesses against threats and opportunities. These strategies seem to be the missing link of implementing the policies in the upstream documents. At the second step, institutional mapping is used according to the innovation system functions to determine roles and responsibilities of the related actors and institutions in order to perform these strategies in practice. Thus, strategies are presented in policymaking, regulatory, providing services, and facilitating contexts and the trustee instituations of each strategy are identified according to their functions in innovation system. This is considered as the first step towards implementing these strategies.