‘Culture of inventions, innovations vital for country’s economy’

LAHORE:Punjab University Vice Chancellor Prof Dr M Ali has said that culture of inventions and innovations must be promoted for improvement in the country’s economy.

He emphasised that we should not just give degrees to the youth but also make them skillful graduates. He was addressing the inaugural ceremony of the two-day “10th Invention to Innovation Summit – 2025” organized by the PU Office of Research Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC) at Al-Razi Hall here on Wednesday.

On this occasion, Chairman Science Foundation Prof Dr Akram Sheikh, PU Pro-VC Prof Dr Khalid Mahmood, Chief Advisor UMT Prof Dr Abid HK Sherwani, ORIC Director Dr Aqil Inam, Deputy Director Dr Furqan Hashmi, scientists, industry representatives, researchers, teachers and students from other universities were present.

In his address, PU VC Prof Dr M Ali said that we should know our problems so that they can be solved. He said that to overcome the challenges, government institutions, bureaucracy and educational institutions will have to take steps for interdisciplinary research. He said that Pakistan is a region rich in natural resources and beauty, and it is necessary to determine the right direction for its development and prosperity.

He said that in the past, people from the Middle East and African countries used to come to Pakistani universities for higher education. He said that the education system should be changed to remove the shortcomings that have been faced by us. He said that the fertilizers and urea that were used earlier to increase wheat production in Pakistan are still being used today.

He said that houses have been built on 90 percent of the land in Lahore, while 10 percent of the agricultural land remains. He said that small towns should be provided with the basic necessities of life. He said that if proper planning is not done, there will be a shortage of flour in Pakistan in the coming years. He said that Pakistan’s water resources are depleting rapidly and if the situation is not controlled, the risk of drought will increase.

Dr Akram Sheikh said that the Invention to Innovation Summit was organised for the first time in 2011 in collaboration with the Pakistan Science Foundation, which has now become a brand of the PU.

Dr Khalid Mahmood said that despite the fact that many PhD scholars are being produced in Pakistani universities every year, we are far behind the world in innovation. Dr Abid Sherwani said that the Invention to Innovation Summit is a good idea aimed at encouraging government, industry and academia to work together. He said that 60 percent of innovation in the world comes from universities, while in Pakistan this rate is only 5 percent. He said that Pakistan is an agricultural country, but we import all the goods from other countries. He said that Pakistan is rich in mineral resources, but we lack the technology to obtain them. He said that on the one hand, America is making 1000 new inventions every year; on the other hand, the patent grants of Pakistani universities are decreasing every year. He said that to take the country forward, a roadmap must be made, the research and development budget must be increased and the curriculum must be structured in such a way that skilled graduates can be produced.

Prof Dr Aqil Inam said that he is grateful to the VC, HEC, PHEC, PSF, UMT, IRP and PASTIC for their cooperation in making the event organised by ORIC a success. He said that stalls have been set by 85 companies with modern technology in the two-day summit. He said that more than 90 oral presentations and papers will be presented in the summit. He said that this summit will prove to be important for providing a foundation for social economy, technology related to food, vaccine production, minerals, recycling and plastic products. He said that the closing ceremony of the two-day summit will be held on Thursday (today) at 3pm.