President ECO Science Foundation
Innovation Summit has grown from an idea to Pakistan’s probably largest R&D Promotion Network. I am pleased to have been part of the team since the very beginning, as we discussed this idea to hold the Innovation Summit every year. The evolving design of innovation summit is responding to the needs of technology development and commercialization. As a result, an ecosystem is building up from grass root level, which will hopefully redefine the structure of R&D in Pakistan.
I strongly believe that there is a great potential in the country but it can only be realized with an adequate investment to strengthen our research and development capacity and capability to innovate. It will be extremely difficult for us to raise living standards, feed our growing populations, keep our children healthy and protect environment, if we cannot innovate and find better, cheaper and smarter ways of producing goods and marketing them. Thus innovation is a key to achieve Sustainable Development Goals.
Further, there is certainly a gap between academia and industry in Pakistan. This Summit is an excellent platform where academia and industry can work together to translate the research done at the universities into marketable products and processes. I believe this summit is providing enabling environment to all of us to share our ideas and develop innovative solutions to respond to the diverse challenges that we are facing today.
I am sure, the Innovation Summit will grow further to an international scenario, particularly ECO Member States with a vision to harness great potential of the region. I assure that ECO Science Foundation will continue to fully engage and participate in such activities to support research and development, promote science,technology and innovation in Pakistan and the whole ECO region.
