138 teams table their ideas at FICS’17 event at NUST

Islamabad

A total of 138 teams, who had qualified for the second round of Finding Innovative and Creative Solutions for Society (FICS’17) presented their ideas to a panel of esteemed industry judges at the stage 2 event and opening ceremony of FICS here at the National University of Sciences and Technology.

Rear Admiral Dr. Nassar Ikram, Pro-Rector, Research Innovation and Commercialization (RIC), NUST, was the chief guest on the occasion. 

Launched in 2013 by NUST School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (SEECS), FICS is an initiative aimed at social development through mobilizing youth to find and solve social problems by applying their technical knowledge. Spread over six campuses comprising 18 constituents, it is a three-stage intra-NUST programme closely aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) where the projects submitted are categorized according to the domains of the SDGs. This year, as many as 205 ideas were submitted from 13 NUST Schools and Colleges. 

Extending his blessings to the participating teams, Dr. Nassar Ikram appreciated the students for playing their part in solving the most pressing problems of Pakistan through technological intervention. He said that like with any ecosystem, the entrepreneurial ecosystem is also the combination of many critical components, all of which must work effectively and efficiently in unison to create the desired output. 

At this stage, Dr. Nassar Ikram maintained, FICS has come forward as a viable platform for deployment and commercialization of students’ technology-based ideas. He also asserted that academia, industry, government and civil society should work together and focus their research on areas pertinent to the needs of the communities around. 

Earlier, Amer Hashmi, Chief Strategy Officer NUST and Secretary General NUST Corporate Advisory Council, welcomed the guests and judges and congratulated the participants who were able to qualify for stage 2 of FICS’17. He appreciated the efforts of students who, under the supervision of their faculty leads and mentorship of experts from industry, came through five months of rigorous hard work.

TAME, a team of NUST students from SEECS, who designed a smart wearable device for Tremor Acquisition and Minimization, and were the winners of FICS 2016 last year, presented their project during the ceremony. TAME is a breakthrough technology that aims to give tremor patients their independence back; it seeks to normalize tremor and give patients control of their hand movement. TAME has recently brought great pride to NUST and Pakistan by winning the Stanford Center on Longevity Design Challenge, a worldwide competition held at Stanford, California, USA, on March 30.

Later, Rabia Shoaib, Director NUST CAC, highlighted the role of partners from the industry and government for their contribution in developing FICS into a viable programme. She also made special mention of the invaluable input of NUST alumni. She expressed her gratitude to the faculty and staff at NUST Schools and Colleges for wholeheartedly participating in FICS, and the Student Organizing Committee for working hard for months to make the programme a success. 

After the opening ceremony, the Rector of NUST Lt. Gen. (retd.) Naweed Zaman, visited the stalls, where student teams briefed him about their projects. The rector appreciated the efforts of students, their faculty supervisors and their management, and emphasized on the role of science and technology Universities in improving the lives of communities through technological intervention.