Adoption of S&T, innovation-oriented strategies stressed

Islamabad : The existence of a comprehensive S&T-based apparatus is a crucial determinant of long-run growth, economic independency, and the competitive edge of a state. A highly globalised contemporary world environment necessitates the adoption of S&T and innovation-oriented strategies for rapid growth in relevant output measures.

Accordingly, with a view to determining answers as to how Pakistan can advance its domestic S&T infrastructure, capitalise on existing opportunities and acquire competitive advantages, the NUST Institute of Policy Studies (NIPS) organised an international webinar on the “Role of Science & Technology for National Progress, Growth and Competitiveness,” here on Tuesday.

NIPS, the NUST’s think tank, is a leading national policy research and advocacy forum that seeks to promote and enrich policy dialogue, and furnish viable solutions. The virtual event was chaired by Lt Gen (r) Naweed Zaman, HI(M), Rector NUST & Patron NIPS. The resource persons of the webinar were Dr Malcolm Parry, CEO Surrey Research Park, United Kingdom; Dr Kang Dachen, Professor at Institute of Policy & Management, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS); and Dr Masoom Yasinzai, Rector International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI).

The webinar was moderated by Dr Nassar Ikram, Pro-Rector Research, Innovation & Commercialisation (RIC), NUST & Vice President National Science & Technology Park (NSTP) at NUST. In his remarks, the Rector NUST said that technology in the contemporary world is a critical factor of productivity and, if used rationally, can yield breathtaking outcomes in terms of inclusive socioeconomic growth. He maintained that NUST has fostered a knowledge ecosystem, which stimulates high-impact research and inspires innovation and entrepreneurship, so much so that the university is now internationally recognised for its burgeoning S&T base and resultant contributions to national economy through cutting-edge research and transfer of indigenously built technologies to the industry. He also made special mention of recent breakthrough undertakings of NUST, including the establishment of Pakistan’s first National Science & Technology Park (NSTP) and N-ovative Health Technologies (NHT), which is also Pakistan’s first-ever facility for the manufacturing of cardiac stents and other medical devices.