The Organisation of Pakistani Entrepreneurs of North America (OPEN) and the Aga Khan University on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to extend support startups to young entrepreneurs in health and medical sector. The MoU was signed by Aga Khan University President Firoz Rasul and OPEN Karachi chapter president Dr Zakiuddin Ahmed Speaking at the signing ceremony, AKU President Firoz Rasul said, “In the United States, opportunities are provided to those individuals who try to implement new ideas and technologies but fail, as failures help people in learning a lot from their mistakes and improve their projects in view of previous shortcomings.” He maintained that the objective behind the partnership was to support and promote new ideas and help the startups so that new products based on technology and innovation could be introduced in the field of healthcare and medical education. “Innovation is the lifeline of our university as well as our country and we are looking forward to new ideas and products from our students and faculty,” the AKU president said, adding: “I believe universities have a very important role to play in promotion of science and technology so that sufferings of the ailing humanity can be minimised.” Dr Zakiuddin Ahmed termed the partnership an exciting initiative and hoped that it would promote innovation and creativity in Pakistan. “The AKU has emerged as the only university that has taken such type of initiative and we are ready to support their students and faculty in materialising their innovative ideas,” he added. He maintained that Pakistani students were so much talented that they could revolutionise the healthcare in Pakistan with their ideas and startups and added that OPEN, which is the largest organisation of Pakistani entrepreneurs in North America with having its chapters in London as well in Pakistan, was committed to supporting startups at university level in Pakistan. He said that the organisation was already running a virtual hospital where doctors and patients were connected through technology, irrespective of the distance between them. Dr Asad Mian, director Critical Creative Innovative Thinking (CCIT) forum at AKU, said that the collaboration between AKU and OPEN as well as the pharma industry was aimed at capacity building of young AKU students. He said that their forum was promoting the use of technology, for which they were having partnerships with other organisations, inviting foreign speakers and hoped that the new collaboration would result in innovative solutions in the healthcare sector in Pakistan. On the occasion, four groups also presented their projects. Published in Daily Times, August 8th 2018.