Pathology of Iranian Oil Industry Innovation System on the Basis of Functional-Institutional Analysis

Understanding innovation system of industry is a requirement for progress in the knowledge-based economy. On the other hand, each industry plays a special role with specific importance, and some parent industries, such as oil industry, take a special position in the Iranian economy. This research is intended to provide policy recommendations for the country's oil industry after drawing an institutional map of the Iranian oil industry innovation system, with the pathology of the role of institutions based on a functional approach. Hence, analysis of the innovation system on the basis of active institutions in the innovation system of the oil industry was carried out through institutional mapping by the participation of ten experts in the oil industry through Delphi method. Then, the functional network of the innovation system was identified by reviewing the literature, and the weights of functions were determined by seventeen innovation experts. Afterwards, the matrix of the functional institution for the Iranian oil industry was designed with the participation of nine experts in innovation and the oil industry. It can be concluded from the functional-institutional analysis of the oil industry innovation system that, although research and educational institutions such as the University of Petroleum Industry, International Institute for Energy Studies, Petroleum Industry Research Institute, Expropriation Research Institute, etc. are active in the development of knowledge development and dissemination, they play little role in entrepreneurial projects which are highly important, only support knowledge-based companies. As a result, it seems that in order to improve the functioning of the oil industry innovation system, institutions must be designed to strengthen this aspect.