LAHORE: The National Defence University (NDU) and the Chainstore Association of Pakistan (CAP) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance collaboration in academic and research initiatives.

The MoU was signed by Rear Admiral Javaid Iqbal, Deputy President of NDU, and Asfandyar Farrukh, Chairman of CAP, in a ceremony attended by key CAP leaders, including Patron-in-Chief Rana Tariq Mehboob, Senior Vice Chairman Ahsen Mehmood, and Secretary General Asim Dogar.

The partnership aims to foster mutual support across several areas, including guest lectures by retail experts at NDU, incentives for NDU students, and collaborative research on retail-related topics.

Additional components include professional development training for CAP members, joint efforts in curriculum development aligned with industry standards, and improved placement opportunities for NDU students and graduates.

Both organizations will also pursue joint research projects, share valuable data and information, and develop publications that address practical needs of the retail ecosystem and the national economy. CAP and NDU also agreed to plan a Chainstore Awards program to recognize and honor high-achieving students at NDU.

This collaboration symbolizes a commitment to leveraging academic expertise and industry insights for the advancement of Pakistan’s academic and business landscapes.

The CAP chairman Asfandyar Farrukh addressing the ceremony called for strong academia-industry linkages to revive the country’s economy. He said that the developed countries had achieved phenomenal economic growth by promoting strong academia-industry linkages and urged to adopt the same approach to promote industrialization and revive the economy. He further said the close academia-industry linkages would help produce demand-driven students, improve the efficiency, productivity and competitiveness of the industry and manufacture value-added products to boost exports.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024