Caretaker Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training and Science and Technology Prof Yusuf Shaikh visited the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) on Thursday. The minister was given a detailed briefing on the functioning, multi-dimensional growth and future plans of NUST, including the establishment of Pakistan’s first-ever National Science and Technology Park (NSTP), and the Medical Devices Development Centre (MDDC). The minister lauded the efforts of NUST management, faculty and researchers towards developing the university as a centre of excellence. Stressing the need for promotion of quality tertiary education in the length and breadth of the country, he praised NUST for taking its outreach initiatives to Balochistan and FATA/KP to provide opportunities for quality higher education to students from under-privileged and remote areas of Pakistan. He laid emphasis on expanding the outreach to other under-served areas like Interior Sindh. NUST Rector Lt Gen (r) Naweed Zaman briefed the minister that the university plans to expand the outreach programme to Interior Sindh and Gilgit-Baltistan. After the briefing session, he visited the NUST School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (SMME), NUST Medical Devices Development Centre (MDDC), a breakthrough facility in Pakistan for the indigenous production of heart stents, and NUST Technology Incubation Centre (TIC), which nurtures budding entrepreneurs in technology-related fields. Published in Daily Times, June 22nd 2018.