Dynamic evaluation of technological innovation system; the case of underground natural gas storage technology in Iran

The technology development is often a process that requires government guidance and support. The government prepare and implement policies for the development of priority technologies. Prior to formulating the policies for technology development, the innovation system should be evaluated and analyzed to identify problems and shortcomings in the system. In the next step, appropriate policies should be implemented to address them. The present study seeks to understand the current situation of the natural gas underground storage technology innovation system in Iran. This innovation system provides a model for evaluating it in Iran by utilizing the framework of the technological innovation system and the method of dynamic evaluation (motors of innovation). Based on that, the system failures in the country have been identified. According to the findings, most important causes of system failure in the development of this technology include insufficiency and low share of private companies in this field, relatively low and average quality of entrepreneurs, and the limited number of storage tanks.