LAHORE: Punjab University Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Ali Shah has said that a culture of invention and innovation must be promoted for bringing improvement in the country’s economy.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the two-day “10th Invention to Innovation Summit – 2025” organised by the PU Office of Research Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC) at Al-Razi Hall here on Wednesday, he said the universities should not just give degrees to the youth, but also make them skillful graduates.

Science Foundation Chairman Prof Dr Akram Sheikh, PU Pro-VC Prof Dr Khalid Mahmood, UMT Chief Advisor Prof Dr Abid H. K. Sherwani, ORIC Director Dr Aqil Inam, Deputy Director Dr Furqan Hashmi, scientists, industry representatives, researchers, teachers and students from other universities were present.

Mr Shah said the institutions, including bureaucracy and educational institutions will have to take steps to promote interdisciplinary research to overcome the emerging challenges.

The VC said that housing schemes have been developed on 90 percent of the agricultural land around Lahore, adding that small towns should be provided with the basic necessities of life to check migration to big cities.

He warned if proper planning is not done, there will be a shortage of flour in Pakistan in the coming years.

He said that Pakistan’s water resources are depleting rapidly and if steps to improve the situation are not taken, the risk of a massive drought will increase for the country.

He said stressed the need for use of modern technology to stabilise groundwater, regretting that unfortunately, neither new things are being invented in Pakistan, nor old ones are being improved.

Dr Sheikh said that academicians, industrialists, scientists and researchers should learn from each other’s experiences. He said that to increase Pakistan’s global innovation index, investment should be made in research and development.

Dr Mahmood said that despite the fact that many PhD scholars are being produced by local universities every year, the country lags far behind the world in innovation.

He said that compared to last year, the number of research papers, posters, and technology stalls has increased in the summit.

Dr Sherwani said 60 percent of innovations in the world come from universities, while in Pakistan this rate is only 5pc.

He said Pakistan is rich in mineral resources, but it lacks technology to obtain them. He said the US is introducing 1,000 new inventions every year, while the patent grants of Pakistani universities are decreasing.

He said that to take the country forward, a roadmap must be made, the research and development budget must be increased and the curriculum must be structured in such a way that skilled graduates can be produced.

Dr Inam said that at the summit stalls have been set up by 85 companies showcasing modern technology and more than 90 oral presentations and papers will be presented.

He said that the summit will prove to be a milestone in providing a foundation for social economy, food-related technology, vaccine production, minerals and recycling plastic products.

The closing ceremony of the two-day summit will be held on Thursday (today) at 3pm.

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2025