ISLAMABAD, Apr 07 (APP):Federal Secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Shahid Baloch, visited COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI) on Tuesday, calling on the university to move beyond academic research and actively convert its patents and innovations into foreign direct investment, describing commercialization as a national economic imperative. He was received by Rector Prof. Dr. Raheel Qamar, along with principal officers and senior management. Rector Qamar presented a comprehensive overview …
CUI urged to commercialize research and convert patents into foreign direct investment
ISLAMABAD, Apr 07 (APP):Federal Secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Shahid Baloch, visited COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI) on Tuesday, calling on the university to move beyond academic research and actively convert its patents and innovations into foreign direct investment, describing commercialization as a national economic imperative.
He was received by Rector Prof. Dr. Raheel Qamar, along with principal officers and senior management.
Rector Qamar presented a comprehensive overview of CUI’s ongoing digital transformation, highlighting initiatives including SmartSelect@CUI, CUOnline, Online Degree Verification, and a Smart Thesis Management System.
The measures have yielded significant results, saving the equivalent of approximately 2,000 trees in paper, projecting financial savings of up to PKR 50 million, reclaiming an estimated 8,400 staff hours, and eliminating over 18,000 days of processing previously associated with surface mail, all within three months.
The Rector also noted that during the 40th Selection Board, over 1,500 appointment and promotion cases were processed entirely paperless through a transparent, in-house system. He further underscored CUI’s transition toward becoming a fully AI-enabled institution, integrating artificial intelligence across governance, academics, research, and decision-making, while calling for continued Ministry support in addressing governance and infrastructural challenges.
Federal Secretary appreciated the university’s initiatives and assured support for expanding CUI’s footprint in Balochistan and Sindh in the coming financial years.
He confirmed that the Ministry is backing CUI’s proposals to establish a UNESCO Category II Centre for Artificial Intelligence and a UNESCO STEM Chair at the Islamabad Campus.
Baloch urged the university to institutionalize paperless statutory meetings and stressed the need for policy reforms to nurture a startup ecosystem in Pakistan. He specifically highlighted CUI’s biomedical research at the Interdisciplinary Research Centre in Biomedical Materials (IRCBM) in Lahore, calling for it to be converted into indigenous, exportable products capable of generating profitable returns for the national economy.
Financial constraints arising from the large number of Worker Welfare Fund scholars were also discussed during the meeting.
The Federal Secretary concluded his visit with a tour of the CUI Central Library and Art Gallery, appreciating the works on display and recording his remarks in the Distinguished Visitor’s Book.
The visit ended with a shared commitment to advancing innovation, digital transformation, and higher education excellence across Pakistan.
