Murad urges youth to contribute to investment and defence
Speaking at the Sindh Startups Exhibition, organised by the Sindh Higher Education Commission (HEC) in collaboration with the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), he emphasised for creating bridge between classrooms and boardrooms, and between research and real-world impact.
The exhibition featured ideas from students and faculty across Sindh's public and private universities. From the 50 projects presented in the moot, five outstanding entries were selected by industry leaders based on their potential for scaling, adoption, and industrialisation. Each winning team will receive a cash award of Rs0.5million.
The chief minister lauded the Sindh HEC for its vision and commitment to strengthening higher education, noting a shift from routine learning to real innovation and collaboration. He urged all Vice Chancellors and university leaders to draw inspiration from this initiative and leverage their Offices of Research, Innovation and Commercialisation (ORICs) to cultivate a local culture of invention, entrepreneurship, and applied research.
He said that his government is vigorously promoting higher education. The province allocates the highest development budget for universities, amounting to Rs35 billion, with an additional Rs8 billion for development portfolios. 'This funding surpasses the combined allocations of the other three provinces and the federal government,' he said.
He stressed the importance of universities producing not just graduates, but "innovators, creators, and problem-solvers," and developing platforms for student and faculty engagement with industry. This, he said, will steer universities towards self-sustainability, reducing dependency on government funding.
Chairman Sindh HEC Dr Tariq Rafi highlighted this exhibition as the fourth major collaborative initiative between Sindh HEC and FPCCI. Previous efforts included the Sindh Research Support Program and events spotlighting university-based inventions, all aimed at delivering local solutions to local industries and moving universities towards greater self-reliance.
Dr Rafi underscored the critical interdependence of industry and academia, stating, "Around the world, the most advanced industrial ecosystems owe their success to the breakthroughs, insights, and talent emerging from their universities."
Chairman CIEC, Sindh HEC, Dr Sarosh Lodhi envisioned a future where ORICs function as "active launch pads for ideas" and encouraged more institutions to host local innovation showcases and campus-industry dialogues.
President FPCCI Atif Shaikh also spoke.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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