LAHORE: Australian High Commissioner Margaret Adamson has said that the Australian government is working with Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) to assist Pakistani start-up entrepreneurs learn the business acumen and management practices necessary to run small and medium enterprises. Margaret Adamson was addressing the concluding ceremony of PITB’s initiative ‘Plan9’ at Arfa Software Technology Park the other day. PITB Chairman Dr Umar Saif, Plan9 Director Nabeel A Qadeer and entrepreneurs were present on occasion. The launchpad was conducted to assess a total of 150 start-ups from Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad with 15 to be chosen for incubation in the Plan9 Centre for next session. Adamson said, “The Australian government was pleased to continue supporting Plan9 to promote a culture of entrepreneurship by encouraging youth, specifically women, to contribute to the economic growth of Pakistan.” Admason further added that in 2015, the Australian government partnered with Plan9 to deliver an ‘Australia Awards Short Course’ on business incubation management, which saw participants exchange innovative ideas with professionals in Australia and Pakistan, strengthening industry-academic links and helping to build public-private partnerships in business incubation. “I have met many young entrepreneurs in Pakistan with bright ideas and I am excited that we are bringing these ideas to life with Plan9. We hope that the acquired skills and knowledge and the exchange of experience with business incubators will contribute to the advancement of small and medium enterprises in Pakistan to support the country’s economic growth and future development,” Adamson added. Plan9 founder Dr Umar Saif said after four years of continuous hard work and determination, Plan9 was entering the 8th cycle of incubation and had expanded from tech start-ups to include two new categories – Social Entrepreneurship and Ed-Tech. He added, “With more people supporting and believing in the technology ecosystem, it is rapidly progressing and growing as a lucrative industry. Plan9 had graduated more than 100 start-ups creating an eco-system where graduates did not have to look for jobs but were instead becoming job creators thus addressing unemployment and in turn benefitting Pakistan’s economy.”