Hyderabad: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) Task Force on Offices of Research, Innovation and Commercialization (ORICs) and Business Incubation Centres (BICs) and Sindh Agriculture University (SAU), Tandojam have agreed to encourage landholders and farmers to move beyond conventional agriculture towards value added farming, agro-industry, agricultural by-products, agricultural tourism and export oriented production.
The two sides also agreed to promote agricultural and value-added products on commercial lines, support promising startups, particularly student-led ventures, through financial and institutional mechanisms, strengthen public private partnerships (PPP) and establish stronger linkages between university research, industry, markets and export opportunities.
The understanding was reached during a visit by former HEC chairman and Convener of the HEC Task Force on ORICs and BICs Prof Dr Javaid Laghari, to SAU, where he held a meeting with Vice Chancellor Engr Prof Dr Altaf Ali Siyal and senior university officials. According to the SAU spokesperson, the meeting reviewed research, innovation, entrepreneurship, startups and mechanisms for converting university research into commercially viable products and services.
Speaking on the occasion, Vice Chancellor Dr Altaf Ali Siyal said universities had to play a leading role in transforming agricultural research into practical solutions, marketable products and commercially viable business opportunities.
Dr Siyal said SAU would work towards establishing an Industry Advisory Board to facilitate regular consultation with industry and align research and product development with market requirements.
He stressed the need to motivate farmers and landholders to move beyond traditional agricultural practices and explore opportunities in value addition, agricultural by-products, agro-industry, agricultural tourism and exports.
Prof Dr Javaid Laghari appreciated the research and innovation activities at SAU and stressed the need to further strengthen linkages between academia, industry and the market.
Prof Laghari particularly stressed the importance of supporting students and young researchers in developing their innovative ideas into startups, saying universities should provide them with effective incubation, mentoring and industry linkages so that promising student-led ventures could progress from the idea stage to sustainable commercial enterprises.
He said the HEC task force would facilitate academia in providing financial and institutional support to successful startups and help promising ideas move from incubation to commercialization. He also discussed mechanisms for supporting student entrepreneurs and strengthening the ecosystem needed to connect their innovative ideas with investors, industry and markets.
BIC Director Dr Mohammad Saleem Sarki briefed him on research projects, innovation activities, startup support, industry linkages and mechanisms for converting university research into marketable products and services.
ORIC Director Dr Aasia Akber Panhwar highlighted potential value added products including moringa flour and date palm biscuits, saying such initiatives could be developed commercially by linking research with industry and market demand.
During the meeting, Dr Mohammad Yaqoob Koondhar, Dr Zaheer Khan and Dr Ghulam Hussain Wagan briefed Prof Laghari on the performance and achievements of SAU’s ORIC and BIC.
Registrar Ghulam Mohiuddin Qureshi also attended the meeting and briefed the visiting delegation about ongoing projects, activities and institutional linkages.