HYDERABAD:The first ever ‘Technology Incubation Center’ (TIC) has been established in the Faculty of Engineering and Technology (FET), University of Sindh on Friday in a bid to help the passing out students in starting businesses and earn money for opening their own companies instead of waiting for public sector jobs.
The center was inaugurated by Vice Chancellor University of Sindh Prof. Dr. Muhammad Siddique Kalhoro, while the Registrar Dr Ghulam Muhammad Bhutto, Dean FET Prof. Dr. Khalil-ur-Rehman Khoumbhati, focal person for the center Dr. Arifa Bhutto, Dean Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration Prof. Dr. Javed Chandio, Dean Faculty of
Natural Sciences Prof. Dr. Wazir Ali Baloch, director admissions Prof. Dr. Ayaz Keerio, Dr. Kamran Taj Pathan, Prof. Dr. Lachhman Das, Dr. Muhammad Younis Leghari, Dr. Altaf Nizamani and others were present on the occasion.
In his presidential remarks on the occasion, the Vice Chancellor said that the Technology Incubation Center will work under the office of research, innovation and commercialization (ORIC) and will be supported to every possible extent by the university.
He said that the passing out students were required to be engaged in the center for a year or two in order that they might be able to deal with the business related issues and start their own businesses.
“Incubation means learn and earn therefore, whatever the students learn on the campus during their studies, they should develop their skills and start a business and play their part in the development of the national economy”, he said.
He said that starting a business could provide jobs for more unemployed youth adding that there was no dearth of talent in the country especially in Sindh but he said, the youths were just required to be provided opportunities.
Dr. Kalhoro said that there were more teaching departments in Sindh University than any other varsity in the province, hence; he said the incubation center will be able to function more effectively and earn money.
He said that ORIC should also get financial share from the profits and various projects of TIC so that the university might also improve its scrawny areas.
He said that some IT graduates of Sindh University’s Laar Campus Badin went for internship in software houses in Karachi after passing out 4 years ago, who within a short span of a year got jobs there and started earning Rs. 80 to 85 thousand per month. “But, today they earn Rs. 2 to 2.5 lac per month and they are also helping other fresh
graduates get jobs in these software houses”, he maintained.
He said that the establishment of the incubation center would bring business revolution in Sindh and the country with the passage of time.
He said that the University of Sindh would also provide financial support to the Technology Incubation Center for its development and growth.
Earlier, Dean Faculty of Engineering and Technology Prof. Dr. Khalil-ur-Rehman Khoumbhati said that 40 incubation centers in Pakistan established as yet had developed 348 different companies which was a great achievement.
He said that a total of four national incubation centers (NICs) were currently functioning with the HEC funding, one of which was working at NED University Karachi.
He informed that an academic institute of Hyderabad affiliated to the University of Sindh also established a national incubation center, through which it was earning a reasonable amount of money by various ways including selling the projects of final year students.
He said that he had just found out that there were more than 100 software houses in Hyderabad alone announcing that after the establishment of Technology Incubation Center at University of Sindh the Software Technology Park (STP) would soon be set up incollaboration with HEC Islamabad, which would be producing new software.
The focal person of TIC Dr. Arifa Bhutto also gave a detailed briefing on the establishment, objectives, benefits and importance of the center and said that the establishment of the center would help promote entrepreneurship and help young people start their ownbusinesses.