The Higher Education Commission (HEC) and Microsoft Pakistan launched Imagine Cup 2019 during a ceremony held at the Commission Secretariat on Tuesday. The ceremony also marked signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between HEC and five universities for collaboration in functioning of HEC EduTV. Chairman HEC Dr. Tariq Banuri graced the occasion as chief guest. Executive Director HEC Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Muhammad Asghar, Country Manager Microsoft Mr. Abid Zaidi, Assistant General Council Microsoft, Middle East Mr. Mike Yeah, and a number of Vice Chancellors, faculty members and students were also present. Imagine Cup is one of Microsoft’s many efforts to transform skill development, nurture budding technologists and foster collaborative and innovative spirit. This global technology competition boasts of several success stories emerging from the competition. It is a vibrant platform to innovate, get recognised and eventually get enabled to bring about a positive change. Imagine Cup continues to foster innovation among students and enables them to transform their ambitions into reality. The winner team will now represent Pakistan at the upcoming worldwide finals to compete among global teams for a USD $100,000 prize. Addressing the ceremony, Dr. Banuri underlined that imagination is the real essence of education as well as human life and spirit; “Imagination enables the mankind to design other possible worlds. Imagination is not about technology, but it is all about the human beings.” He stressed that imagination and curiosity play a vital role in solving problems and the development and use of technology is pivotal to materialise imaginations. The Chairman appreciated the NUST SEECS (School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science) who won the Imagine Cup 2018 national finals. He said the young minds of Pakistan have a great potential and imagination skills. “We need your brain power to solve our problems and transform the challenges faced by our country into opportunities,” he emphasised. Dr. Banuri said that HEC plans to move towards paperless office. He added that a job portal has been created where the academia, especially universities, can post their jobs and find suitable candidates. Highlighting the importance of Higher Education Information Management System (HEIMS), he said a Campus Management System is being evolved to bring all the HEC technology-linked initiatives onto a single platform. He said Imagine Cup provides youth with education, exposure, and networking opportunity. He said that networking is a part and parcel of the partnership between HEC and Microsoft. In his remarks, Country Manager Microsoft Abid Zaidi said Microsoft strives to bring the right set of tools and technology towards the students so that they can change the work for the better. He observed that Pakistani students are the agents of change and they need the right set of tools to succeed. He stated that as a technology company, Microsoft wants to empower students and enable them to shape the future. Microsoft Imagine Cup continues to witness strong participation from Pakistan, as well as world over. Under Education Transformation Agreement, HEC and Microsoft work in partnership to enable student-centric learning, enhance education with powerful software tools and improve the efficiency of education systems. The agreement is aimed at supporting all communities, enabling them to enjoy social bene?ts of a well-educated population. It encompasses training for educators and educational leaders, conducting research for innovations, and building professional communities to ensure that every student reaps the bene?t of a global network of empowered educators. The key strategic aims of this partnership include transformation of learning and innovation and develop 21st Century Skills and Employability. On the occasion, HEC signed an MoU with Lahore Garrison College, Riphah International University, Islamabad, Shaheed Zulfiqat Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST), Sindh Madrasatul Islam, Karachi, and, University of Gujrat to collaborate in functioning of HEC.