FNA - Iran is pioneering in scientific growth among the world states, a senior Iranian academic official said on Sunday.

"Iran has had the fastest scientific growth in the world, which has been 11 times higher than the average global rate," Head of Iran's Science and Elites Committee Ahmad Faza'eli said, addressing a forum in Tehran on Saturday.

He added that Iran ranks first in the region and 16th in the world in production of science.

Faza'eli also noted that Iran stands among the top 11 world states in satellite-launch technology and ranks 8th in the world in orbiting satellites.

Iran has made huge progress in different sciences and technologies in recent years.

Iranian Vice-President for Science and Technology Sorena Sattari announced earlier this month that Iran stood atop the nations of the region in the production of science and technology.

"Now, Iran ranks first in the region in science and technology," Sattari said, addressing a forum on stem cells in Tehran.

He also referred to Iran's huge progress in the field of stem cells, and said that the country had been able to take over Turkey and Israel in this field.

Sattari underscored that Iran's progress in the field of stem cells and regenerative medicine had opened a door to the development of knowledge-based economy.

Also, in June, Sattari underlined that Iran's international ranking in science production had risen from 34th to 16th.

"Iran ranks first in West Asia in terms of science output with the number of its college students rising to 4.8 million from 2.4 million," Sattari said, addressing the second Iran-Europe Cooperation Conference in Brussels, Belgium.

He reiterated that Iran had made great progress in the fields of biotechnology, renewable energy, nanotechnology and stem cells.

Sattari said that there were 47 million internet users in Iran who constitute nearly half of the total Internet users in the Middle East, and added, "Iran ranks first in the Middle East for production of biological drugs."

He said that Iran had one of the most successful biotech companies with young and skilled staff aged 33 on the average which exported biological drugs to 10 countries, Sattari said.

Of 39 technology parks existing in Iran, Paris Park is one of the largest in West Asia which houses 200 companies and some of them export advanced technological products, he added.