Pakistani universities can solve industrial issues, says acting KU VC

Pakistani universities intend to provide creative solutions to problems being faced by the manufacturers, production units and industries of Pakistan, Karachi University Acting Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi said on Thursday.

“We all know that our youth do not lack creativity and have the ability to adapt to innovation but the fact is that they have never been provided with the required facilities to showcase their talent at the national and international level,” he said while addressing the closing ceremony of the National Idea Bank (NIB) city competition 2021 organised by the KU Office of Research Innovation and Commercialisation at Professor Dr Salimuzzaman Siddiqui Auditorium of the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences at the varsity.

Prof Iraqi said universities were the centre of knowledge, and they provided platforms to the students to enhance their skills through initiatives like the NIB competition. He informed the audience that the Karachi University Business Incubation Centre had been providing free-of-charge facilities to the students so they could build their start-ups.

More than 400 creative projects’ proposals and ideas were received on an individual and collective basis for the competition, of which the judges selected the five best project holders each in six different categories for the next stage. The individuals who were voted as the best innovator by the judges were also given cheques and merit certificates during the ceremony.