Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) is working on a new, comprehensive and well organised strategy to strengthen industry-academia linkages and help industry to implement knowledge based innovations by the end of 2016 and kick start a new era of industrial revolution in Pakistan, said Javed Saleem Qureshi Chairman Pakistan Engineering Council.
He was addressing a seminar on industry-academia linkages jointly organised by The University of Faisalabad (TUF) and Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI).
He termed research and development as oxygen and bloodline for the industry without which it cannot sustain its growth. He said that Faisalabad is the hub of textile industry but it is hard fact that we are totally dependent on imported textile machinery despite of the fact that our neighbouring countries have already started its manufacturing on a large scale.
Commenting on the missing linkages between industry and academia, he said that we cannot put its onus on academia as the innovations, commercialisation and marketing of new inventions is not their domain.
He said, "It is pity those 68 years after independence we could not develop sustained linkages between industry and academia". However, Faisalabad has now taken a bold and positive initiative by organising a seminar on this important topic which has explicitly indicated the missing linkages and now we should make focused efforts to bridge this gap and put the industrial sector on the road to progress and prosperity by strengthening industry-academia linkages.
Continuing, he said that a committee should be formed consisting of successful businessmen and renowned academicians to discuss and resolve this issue without any further delay. He said that our youth is full of potentialities but our system failed to fully capitalise their abilities. He said that there are approximately 200 research institutions but most of them are conducting irrelevant research hence we must induct industrialists in its board of directors to realign their mental as well as practical approach and re-fix their priorities.
Javed Saleem Qureshi said that he has taken fundamental measures to streamline the entire industrial system in Pakistan immediately after taking over the charge of PEC. "It was a general perception that the job of PEC was only to register new engineers and issue licences to the contractors whereas our actual job is to work as think-tank and we will fulfil this responsibility very soon in a big way.
He further said that as part of streamlining the system, an online system has been developed for the registration of engineers. Similarly, a system for the licensing of contractors was also at the anvil and is expected to become operational by the end of this month. He said that parliament has also entrusted PEC the task to formulate curricula for engineering subjects. In this connection, we are hiring the services of subject specialists. Moreover, the accreditation system will also be revamped very soon, he added.
Earlier, Professor Dr Abdul Majeed Rector The University of Faisalabad underlined the importance of industry-academia linkages and told that as per direction of Higher Education Commission (HEC) an office of Research, Innovation and Commercialisation (ORIC) has been established in TUF. "We are focusing on the practical training of our students and in this connection Punjab Health Care Commission has declared Madina Teaching Hospital second best hospital after Shaukat Khanum Hospital.
Chaudhary Muhammad Nawaz President Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) in his welcome address paid best tribute to Mian Muhammad Hanif Chairman board of directors Madina group and told that being president FCCI in 2006-07 he had taken some radical and far-reaching decisions which played a pivotal role in the overall uplift of FCCI.
SVP FCCI Syed Zia Alamdar Hussain, Engineer Rizwan Ashraf, Abdul Sattar Naeem of Riph University, Tanvir Hussain Acting Director NTU and Dr Habib Aslam Gaba also delivered lectures.
Later Mian Muhammad Hanif Chairman Board of Governors Madina Group presented mementos of TUF to Javed Saleem Qureshi Chairman PEC, SVP FCCI Syed Zia Alamdar Hussain, Engineer Rizwan Ashraf, Abdul Sattar Naeem of Riph University, Tanvir Hussain Acting Rector NTU and Dr Habib Aslam Gaba.
Offering vote of thanks Mian Muhammad Hanif told that about 10 years ago a conscious effort was made to strengthen industry-academia linkages but it could not be materialised due to some unavoidable circumstances.
He said that energy crisis was also visualised about 10 years ago but being a nation we failed to take necessary remedial steps in time. However, he said that Pakistan was our common heritage and we must stand united to put it on the road to progress and prosperity.