ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Engineering Development Board (EDB) to collaborate on areas of mutual research interest leading to the development of Pakistan’s engineering goods and services sector on modern lines, a statement said on Saturday.
The PIDE was represented by its vice chancellor Dr. Nadeem ul Haque and EDB by its chairman Almas Hyder, according to PIDE press release.
Speaking at the event, Haque stressed a need to map out and determine contribution of the engineering industry to the economy in terms of GDP share, investment, and employment generation, and identification of top performers. “There is also a need to understand why firms do not grow and why they are not exporting,” he said.
Almas Hyder was of the view that the MoU would give the EDB an edge when proposing policy interventions for development of the engineering industry as those would be based on updated information regarding the current state of the industry.
“Research and policy go hand in hand, and the industry needs to be mapped out more,” he said. The MoU seeks to promote cooperation in research activities between two institutes.