All components of innovation ecosystem being integrated for first time: Ahsan

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal said that “for the first time, we are integrating all components of the innovation ecosystem, including civil-military fusion—mirroring the early development of Silicon Valley.”

The minister chaired a high-level strategic meeting in Islamabad on Wednesday to review progress on the landmark initiative “Quantum Valley Pakistan.”

The meeting was attended by Dr Najeeb Ullah, Member Science and Technology, along with senior officials from the Ministry of Information Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Planning.

Speaking at the meeting, the minister said, “This is the first major initiative under our Science, Technology, and Engineering for Development (STED) programme. Pakistan is taking concrete steps to evolve into a knowledge-based, techno-economic power.”

He emphasised that Quantum Valley Pakistan—envisioned as the country’s answer to Silicon Valley—is Pakistan’s most ambitious techno-national initiative to date. He stated that the project will include state-of-the-art science parks specializing in emerging technologies such as agri-tech, biotechnology, advanced materials, and minerals.

He said “it aims at promoting civil-defence fusion in R&D for economic development, fast-track high-tech industrialization, and localising global innovation models to meet national needs by targeting Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 3 to 6.”

Highlighting past efforts, Minister Iqbal remarked that the journey began with the launch of Vision 2010, followed by the allocation of 10,000 PhD scholarships to create a critical mass of scientists, technologists, and researchers, and the establishment of National Centres for Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Big Data, and Cyber security.

After progressing through various stages of capacity building and institutional development, the time has now come to consolidate these efforts into a robust, integrated innovation ecosystem that will propel Pakistan into the ranks of globally competitive knowledge economies.”

The minister directed that the execution of Quantum Valley Pakistan will be a joint effort involving the Ministry of Planning, Ministry of Information Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Defence, and the National Technology Fund (Ignite). The project is set to play a transformative role in positioning Pakistan at the forefront of global technological innovation.

During the meeting, Dr Najeeb Ullah briefed participants on the strategic design framework of Quantum Valley Pakistan, which has been developed in collaboration with the renowned St John’s Innovation Centre at the University of Cambridge. The Centre, a global leader in enterprise and technological innovation, has played a pivotal role in shaping this visionary concept aimed at transforming Pakistan into a regional hub for advanced science, technology, and high-tech entrepreneurship.

Dr Najeeb noted that the idea was formally explored during Minister Iqbal’s recent visit to the University of Cambridge, where discussions were held on leveraging UK–Pakistan collaboration to promote research, innovation, and industrial advancement.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025