Ayesha Saba

To achieve sustainable growth, Pakistan should have a clear strategic vision of building a knowledge-driven economy. This requires fostering strong linkages between industry and academia, said Dr Aliya H Khan, a leading economist and former dean of Social Sciences at the Quaid-i- Azam University. Talking to WealthPK, she said that Pakistan boasts unique demographic dividends characterised by a significant young population. With proper opportunities, the youth could foster innovation, boost economic expansion and transform Pakistan into a hub for knowledge-and-technology-based industries. She called for sharing knowledge and taking joint initiatives to boost production and improve quality of life. Aliya H Khan pointed out that Pakistan’s budget allocations for higher education and science and technology are inadequate, and sometimes the allocated funding got lapsed or reduced due to non-utilisation.

She proposed setting up technology incubation centres and science parks within universities to translate the ideas into marketable products and promote collaboration between industries and academia. She said that China is one of the leading players in fostering academic-industry linkages. “Combined goals-oriented improvements and government reforms have led to the country’s rapid growth in science and technology over the last two decades,” she added. Aliya H Khan said Pakistan should enhance collaboration with China on exchanges in human capital, thereby enhancing the human development index. She pointed out that the main reason for increasing unemployment among the educated youth is a lack of a link between academia and industry. “Our institutions of higher learning are unaware of the requirements of industry to design their courses accordingly.

She advocated producing academic courses suited to industrial needs. Ghulam Sarwar, the Higher Education Commission’s Project Coordinator for Research and Development, told WealthPK that the commission is striving to bridge the gap between universities and industries to ensure optimal use of technology and practical implementation of theoretical knowledge. He said that HEC has sponsored a number of research and development projects through the Technology Development Funds. He added that there are more than 200 projects, and most of them are in the final stages of completion.The fund focuses on how the research could be practically implemented in industry. He said many products and prototypes created by the researchers in universities have been commercialised through this initiative.

Credit: INP-WealthPk