CM Murad inaugurates Sindh Startup Expo, urges greater industry-academia collaboration

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday inaugurated the Sindh Innovative Startups Exhibition 2025 at the Federation House.

The event aimed to promote indigenous business ideas, foster industry-academia linkages, highlight emerging technologies, and support import substitution solutions. It also sought to encourage technology-driven economic development and strengthen the tech entrepreneurship ecosystem in the country.

Murad reaffirmed his government’s support for universities and their R&D initiatives, calling them the only sustainable path to creating a robust economic environment in Sindh by harnessing the potential of the youth in a constructive and productive manner.

He noted that Sindh allocates the highest level of funding to universities among all provinces.The chief minister commended the FPCCI’s leadership role as the apex trade and industry body, particularly in uniting industry, academia and government. He also urged the FPCCI to facilitate investment in the province’s technology startups through matchmaking efforts.

FPCCI President Atif Ikram Sheikh said that the future of Pakistan’s economy lies in innovation, entrepreneurship, and knowledge-based collaboration. He emphasised that it was time for industry to embrace academia not just as a partner, but as a driver of future growth and competitiveness.

The FPCCI president also acknowledged the efforts of Chairman of the Sindh Higher Education Commission (HEC) Prof Dr Tariq Rafi for extending the impact of academia beyond the classroom and into the economy. He also praised Convener of FPCCI’s Central Standing Committee on Higher Education, Science and Technology Maheen Salman for conceptualising and executing the exhibition with clarity, energy and purpose.

FPCCI Senior Vice President Saquib Fayyaz Magoon explained that around the world, industries lead innovation with support from universities, as they are best positioned to identify real-world needs and market-driven applications of technology.

Rafi noted that the exhibition marked a significant joint initiative by the Sindh HEC and FPCCI. He said previous efforts, such as the Sindh Research Support Programme and various events showcasing university-based innovations, were all geared towards offering local solutions to local industry. “Ultimately, our goal is to move universities towards greater self-reliance by transforming research into opportunity. Today’s exhibition is the manifestation of that vision,” he added.