PROVINCE REPORT
SWABI: In a significant and hopeful step toward making Pakistan technologically self-reliant, the Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology (GIKI) and the Indigenous Research and Development Agency (IRADA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote research, innovation, technology development, commercialization and human resource development.
The landmark collaboration will pave the way for joint research and development projects in critical fields including chip design and verification, artificial intelligence, robotics, cybersecurity, Internet of Things (IoT), energy systems and advanced manufacturing.
IRADA Managing Director Umar Rashid appreciated GIKI’s strong research capabilities and highlighted the importance of collaboration between national research institutions and leading universities. He said Pakistan could not achieve technological independence by working in isolation and stressed the need to develop indigenous digital technologies and locally manufactured microcontroller-based devices.
GIKI Rector Professor Dr Fazal Ahmad Khalid welcomed the partnership, saying the MoU would provide an important platform to connect GIKI’s engineering and academic expertise with Pakistan’s national technology priorities. He reaffirmed GIKI’s commitment to practical research capable of strengthening the country’s technological self-reliance and industrial growth.
The agreement also covers technology commercialization and transfer, training programmes, internships, student research, shared research facilities and joint initiatives related to innovation and policy.
The partnership carries a powerful message for Pakistan’s future: the country’s greatest technological asset is its own talent. By connecting young engineers, researchers, academia and industry, Pakistan can move from being a technology consumer to becoming a technology creator building solutions at home for a stronger, more self-reliant and technologically empowered Pakistan.
