JAMSHORO: Speakers at a workshop on Wednesday have stressed the need for bridging a gap between academia and industry to boost economy.
They said that a university-industry interaction umbrella project had been initiated to share latest information on science and technology with the entrepreneurs.
This they said while speaking at a one-day training workshop titled ‘developing industry driven technologies’ that was held at University of Sindh, Jamshoro in collaboration with Pakistan Scientific & Technological Information Centre (PASTIC) and Institute of Research Promotion (IRP), Lahore, which was organized at Hi Tech Resources Laboratory of the University of Sindh.
Dean, Faculty of Natural Sciences Prof. Dr. Abdul Rasool Abbasi presided over the workshop while Director General, PASTIC Dr. Muhammad Akram Shaikh participated as guest of honour. Among others Chief Coordinator, IRP Lahore Rahmatullah, Naveed Ahmed and Director Hi tech Resources Laboratory Dr. Abdul Jabbar Leghari, except a large number of faculty members and scholars of the varsity.
The participants of the workshop were apprised about the planning, developing and commercializing of technologies. They were also told about processes, fabrication and pilot test trials of market driven products.
The workshop also included significant learning for research managers in terms of technology development process, transfer of framework and enabling factors for successful commercialization.
DG PASTIC Dr. M. Akram Shaikh said that researchers possessed a number of ideas (projects) with viable potentials which could be utilized for their universities to develop and commercialize.
He said the workshop was based on case studies of industrial projects developed through identification, planning, lab works, pilot testing and production scale of different industrial products adding that the scientists & professors of natural sciences must conduct applied research in their fields in order to solve the problems relating to the industries and help diminish poverty in the country.
He said when science became useful for practical purposes it metamorphosed to technology and then required development. Thus, he said, it became imperative that scientific research and technological development coalesced to help achieve the aspirations of high growth, wealth creation and improvement in quality of life and industries especially that of rice mills.
He said the allocation of money for research in the field of science and technology was meager which could not help conduct applied research to benefit the industries. “This shows the interest of government in the field of science and technology. I think the central govt. should pay full attention towards this burning issue; if our universities did not conduct applied research, our nation would be in trouble in the days to come,” Dr. Shaikh lamented.
He said the scientists and professors should be relaxed from taking the classes so that they might concentrate on applied research.
Delivering his lecture, Chief coordinator IRP Lahore Rahmatullah said that the poverty can be lessened in the country only through conducting applied research in the field of natural sciences.
He said: the main objective of this workshop is to provide a platform to scientists from the University of Sindh to share their findings with science administrators and industry representatives in order to develop a greater understanding about the tremendous benefits of structural chemistry.
Dr. Abdul Rasool Abbasi said that there was a communication gap between the two sides (University & Industry) in the past which now must be bridged with the help of the project initiated by PASTIC.
Latest research facilities in universities will help us in facing industrial, technical and management challenges, he said.
Developed countries were reducing cost of production by using high-technology in their goods, said Dr Abbasi. He said that in the past the HEC initiated an industrial research development project but paucity of funds kept it ineffective.
He said in the Netherlands about 99.9 per cent research work was being carried out by university teachers and funded by industrialists.
Dr. Abdul Jabbar Leghari stressed that it was important that academia and corporate sector sit together to address the future research needs of the country. In the developed world, he said, there was strong partnership for innovation and enterprise to boost economies.
He advised the students to explore opportunities to work with industry to synergize resources for socio-economic development in the region.
He said students and faculty members at universities should develop need based solution for the industry so that corporate sector could avoid spending heavy funds on technology transfer from abroad.
Dr. Leghari said it was important that students focus on research along with personality and skill 
development and equip themselves with necessary knowledge to be successful in practical life. He called for scientific innovation in the country for industrial competitiveness.
Later, the certificates of participation were distributed among the participants.
Nadir Ali Mugheri 