‘Modern knowledge a must’

LAHORE
NO nation can prosper without the creation of new knowledge for which more PhD teachers are needed so that education can take roots in the country, said Punjab University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran.
He said this while addressing the “4th Invention to Innovation Summit 2015” of Punjab University Office of Research Innovation and Commercialisation (ORIC) in collaboration with Institute of Research Promotion (IRP) and Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) at the Al-Raazi Hall on Wednesday. Chairman Pakistan Science Foundation Dr Muhammad Ashraf, University of Management and Technology Rector Dr Hassan Sohaib Murad, Institute of Research Promotion CEO Abid Sherwani, PASTIC National Centre Director General Dr Muhammad Akram Sheikh, ORIC Director Dr Amir Ijaz, faculty members, research scholars from various universities and a large number of students participated in the summit.
In his address, Dr Mujahid Kamran said no country in the world could prosper without creating the new knowledge. He said the first verses of the Holy Quran emphasised on the importance of education and ordered to study.
He said 750 verses of the Holy Quran stressed the need for observation of the natural phenomena to resolve mysteries of the world, which reflected the importance of knowledge in the Quran. He said the demise of the Muslim world was because of neglecting this message of the Quran.
Dr Kamran said that throughout the world 5.9 percent of the GDP was spent on the education while two percent was being used for the creation of the new knowledge. On the other hand, education was given only two percent and 0.1 percent was spent on the research in Pakistan.
On the occasion, Dr Muhammad Ashraf said more was needed to promote science in the country. He said despite grants no good research work was being done in universities across Pakistan.
He said further research, based on available research work of scholars, should be promoted. Dr Ashraf said the PSF was initiating several programmes in the near future for the promotion of science in the country. He lauded the efforts of the organisers and congratulated Dr Mujahid Kamran on the successful commencement of the event.
Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad said the conference would help bridge the gap between the academia and industry. He said Punjab University, being one of the largest universities of the country, held a unique place in terms of research and scholarly work.
He said the summit provided a unique opportunity for the youth of the country. Dr Murad said many great ideas of research scholars were wasted due to lack of opportunities. He said scholars should be helped to publish their ideas as it would not only help them but also help the country to prosper.
Abid Sherwani said the summit exhibited 500 indigenous technologies. He said more than 30 universities and 40 industries and private sector organisations from all over Pakistan were participating in the summit.
ORIC Director Dr Aamir Ajaz thanked participants and said the summit was showcasing inventions and innovations by Pakistani scientists.
Later, PSF Chairman Dr Muhammad Ashraf inaugurated exhibitions by the research scholars of different universities at the Main Corridor of university and visited various stalls along with PU VC Dr Mujahid Kamran.