'Linkages between industry and academia to be strengthened'

Innovation and entrepreneurship are prerequisite to generate much needed economic activity in the country and in this connection the linkages between industry and academia will be further strengthened, said Engineer Ahmed Hasan vice president Faisalabad Chamber of commerce and Industry (FCCI).
Addressing the inaugural session of a workshop on innovation and Entrepreneurship jointly organised by the University Of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) and Institute of Engineers Pakistan (IEP), he said that Pakistan is a country of more than 190 million people, making it the 6th largest country in the world by population.
More than 30 percent individuals fall within the prime productive age of 18-30 years. "With a rapidly increasing young population and already high unemployment rates, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the government as well as policy makers to provide them jobs in the prevailing circumstances", he added. Further he said that in this situation, innovation and entrepreneurship is the only available solution through which we could convert our youth into a productive and valuable economic asset.
Appreciating the efforts of University of Agriculture in this regard, he said that it has been encouraging entrepreneurship among in its students, he said and added FCCI was also promoting industry-academia linkages in order to harnessing the entrepreneur skills of the youth at all levels. He also lauded the efforts of the DICE (Distinguished Innovations, Collaboration and Entrepreneurship) foundation. He further said that new entrepreneurs should focus on demand-driven products and business models as without innovative we cannot survive in this competitive world.
He said that FCCI is also working actively for promoting entrepreneurship culture in Faisalabad and we have a permanent representative of SMEDA in FCCI to provide guidance and advice to aspiring entrepreneurs. "I have also decided to set up a young entrepreneurs committee at FCCI for providing a common platform to discuss issues of common interest", he remarked. This session was also addressed by Dr Habib Aslam Gaba Chairman FCCI Standing Committee on Industry-Academia Linkages and Zulfiqar Ahmed, Social Entrepreneurship, University of London.