US ambassador visits NUST

Islamabad: The United States Ambassador to Pakistan, Paul W. Jones, paid a visit to the main campus of National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST) here on Wednesday. In a comprehensive presentation on NUST, the Ambassador – who was accompanied by a few other members of the diplomatic mission – was briefed on the university’s academic and research pursuits, particularly various projects initiated in collaboration with the US, NUST Rector Lieutenant General (r) Naweed Zaman, welcomed the delegation and apprised them of some of the meritorious achievements and nation building projects of NUST, including National Science & Technology Park (NSTP) and Medical Devices Development Centre (MDDC).

The Ambassador was also briefed about the recently concluded US-funded “Global Acceleration Program (GAP)” at NUST. Under GAP, as many as 12 promising startups from all across Pakistan were selected through a rigorous process.

The founders of these startups were taken to Silicon Valley for a 3-month immersion programme and coached on fundraising and how to scale. GAP was fully funded by the US State Department and executed by the Technology Incubation Center (TIC) at NUST. The Ambassador also interacted with the founders and appreciated the overall programme success, as 6 startups raised $700,000 in funding and others received contracts of $250,000. Later, the delegation visited TIC-NUST, which is Pakistan’s first university-based incubator.

The US Ambassador commended NUST for its accomplishments and wished to strengthen collaboration in areas of mutual interest. Appreciating the outcomes of Global Acceleration Programme (GAP), he desired that collaborative opportunities should be further explored to advance the educational and entrepreneurial cooperation between the United States and Pakistan.