ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan and the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI) convened a roundtable discussion aimed at strengthening the ties between academia and industry, with a focus on technology commercialization.

According to Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, the meeting was held at the ICCI headquarters and was led by President of ICCI, Mr. Sardar Tahir Mehmood. Dr. Syed Habib Bukhari, Member of the Research & Innovation Division at HEC, headed the delegation from HEC. The event was attended by representatives from academia, including officials from the Offices of Research, Innovation and Commercialisation (ORICs), along with industry participants.

The agenda centered on HEC’s draft of the Joint Research Framework and Model Agreements, which emphasize university-industry collaboration, demand-driven research, technology transfer, and intellectual property matters. Stakeholders provided feedback aimed at refining these frameworks.

Participants underscored the importance of robust academia-industry linkages for fostering innovation, improving employability, and driving economic growth. Both sides committed to ongoing dialogue to enhance coordination toward their shared objectives. The roundtable concluded with recommendations to bolster collaboration and support a more effective ecosystem for research, innovation, and technology commercialization.