Lahore : With a view to enhancing its collaboration reach across Pakistan, and establishing partnerships with local industry and community, National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST) held an outreach in Lahore the other day. The event, based on the theme of ‘Building nation through transformative higher education’, saw an outstanding representation from Lahore’s Industry and Corporate Leadership. In attendance were notable leaders and business owners from Cement Industry, Electronic & IT organisations, Manufacturing, Chemical, Banking & Finance, Fertilizers and Engineering sectors etc. of Lahore.
The stars of showbiz and sports fraternity also attended the event. Film star Mr Shaan Shahid, singer Mr Sahir Ali Bagga, and cricketers Mr Amir Sohail, Mr Taufeeq Umar and Mr Muhammad Yousaf showed their support for higher education, terming it an instrument of change and progress for the country. Also present at the event were notable industry leaders.
In his welcome address, Pro-Rector Research, Innovation & Commercialisation NUST, Rear Admiral Dr Nassar Ikram, HI, SI said that ‘The city of Lahore has a cherished history of educational institutions spread over decades which has transformed the city thus making it the hub of Punjab’s economic activity, and leading to innovation-based industries; which can only be further catalysed through industry-academia collaboration.’ The address was followed by a detailed presentation by Director NUST University Advancement Office (UAO) Ms Maria Qadri, highlighting NUST’s academic, research and innovation ecosystem, and the impact it has created with the continuing support of the university’s partnering individuals and organisations.
Through its innovation and research ecosystem, NUST has become the leading university of Pakistan in developing academia based innovations and inventions, and commercialising it to the industry. The university holds the honour of having the highest number of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) in Pakistani academia with 720 filed and 126 awarded. Furthermore, 36 technologies have already been transferred to the industry. Leading from the front, NUST, through its initiative NUST Endowment for Educational Development (NEED), has been creating discernible positive impact on society by enabling the brightest minds of the country to receive world-class education irrespective of their financial limitations. Since the launch of this initiative in 2015, more than 1800 brilliant students have been able to pursue their dream of education with the help of 769 cause partners from 12 countries.
The participants vowed to support the educational initiatives of NUST, and enhance industry-academia linkages through innovation-based impactful collaborations.