For the past 36 years, the Institute for Trade Studies and Research (ITSR) has been recognized as a leading think tank of Iran, significantly contributing to the economic and Industrial development of the country. ITSR was founded as the research arm of the Ministry of Commerce, focusing mainly on trade issues, but after the merger of the Ministry of Commerce with the Ministry of Industries and Mines in 2011, ITSR has been gradually moving to conduct studies on manufacturing and industrial issues as well.  In these years,  ITSR has consistently conducted in-depth studies addressing the challenges of industrial and trade policies in Iranian economy, and through formulating practical policy recommendations has made impact on the decision making processes in the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade.

Given the international re-orientation of the Iranian economy in the post-sanctions era and its related policy consequences, ITSR has been mandated by the MIMT to lead the international knowledge transfer and capacity building activities required for the new era. In the past two years, we have ventured to address the data-scarcity issues of the Iranian business environment by offering the institute's research results online and commissioning researches required to introduce the Iranian market to our foreign partners. Currently, we are pursuing different types of training programs to educate our foreign partners on existing opportunities and practices of the Iranian markets along with implementing an intervention package to enhance the organizational and analytical skills of Iranian business community, facilitating their positioning toward international markets.

At the present time, a number of key research projects are moving ahead with full vigor. In the future months, we will put utmost efforts to complete the research projects in relation to Iran’s WTO accession, which focus on the implications of free trade for different sectors of Iranian economy along with rules and regulations that should be reformed in the process of becoming a WTO member state. Moreover, ITSR is putting a new emphasis on integration of industrial, trade and technological policies in the national policy sphere and has created a cooperation framework between the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade and Vice Presidency for Science and Technology to do so.  We will also continue to monitor and research the post-sanctions conditions and the extent of openings in international cooperation; supporting new FTA negotiations, integrating investment and trade possibilities and deepening our interactions with the neighboring economies with an eye towards the revival of regional agreements, are among our top priorities.

As a public policy think tank affiliated with the Iranian Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade, ITSR welcomes expanding relations with foreign partners and international organizations. We strongly believe that learning from the experience of other countries is critically necessary for any successful policy formulation. 
I thank you for exploring the opportunities for mutual cooperation and research which will certainly be beneficial for both countries.