KARACHI: Pakistan Science Foundation Chairman Dr Muhammad Ashraf has said that academia-industry linkage is vital for educational and economic uplift. “These linkages ensure industrial growth and technologic advancement but regretfully Pakistan is lagging behind in ensuring smooth and fruitful linkages between these sectors, he said while addressing the concluding session of 2nd Invention to Innovation Summit Sindh 2017 organised by ORIC Karachi University in collaboration with Pakistan Science Foundation and Institute of Research Promotion (IRP) at Arts Auditorium Karachi University on Wednesday. While briefing about research projects, he added that two of their products were registered with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government. Turkey is supporting 35 percent basic research and 65 percent for applied research. KU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Ajmal Khan said that developed nations have experienced tremendous economic growth due to giving priority to innovative research, knowledge economy and sound linkages between academia, industry and government sector. These linkages ensure industrial growth and technologic advancement but regretfully Pakistan is lagging behind in ensuring smooth and fruitful linkages between these sectors. Industries must come forward and collaborate with academia in order to meet the contemporary challenges of the professional world. He said, “Higher Education Commission (HEC) established ORICs in varsities of the country to ensure the linkage between academia and industry and to ensure innovative research that would help in economic and technological advancement. Education is useless if it doesn’t tend to resolve the societal problems. Varsities also have a pivotal responsibility to give professional hands-on experience to their graduates as industries are not accepting varsity graduates terming them having no professional experience of their education.” He added, “Universities must have a curriculum meeting all the contemporary industry requirements as the faculty members of the varsity are deprived of the basic know-how of latest industrial needs and trends. Universities have a pivotal role in economic growth and building knowledge based economy that guarantees sound economic growth.” Around 150 research papers were presented in the summit while exhibitions on technology prototypes, water, food and energy sector, fund winning training sessions for academia and industry, workshops on organic foods and health, technology for life sciences and competitions were also held during the two days. Published in Daily Times, December 28th 2017.