The fourth International Conference on Experiential Learning (ICEL) at the Institute of Business Management (IoBM), Karachi featured prominent corporate leaders, academicians, scholars and government officials, held on November 16 and 17, 2019 at IoBM. Zubair Gilani, Chairman Board of Investment attended this conference. During his address, he talked about the problems Pakistan is facing including the scarcity of resources and overpopulation. He called for Pakistanis to have faith in their capabilities and work diligently for a prosperous future.

During the experts' panel discussion, Dr Kaiser Bengali, Pakistan's leading economist highlighted the need for academia to draft their researches in a language the policymakers and government officials can understand. He viewed that academia must take the first step to reduce the gap with the industry. The panelists of this discussion shared their views on the triple helix approach. Under this concept, academia, industry, government, civil society and the media collaborate for research, entrepreneurship and commercialization.

Addressing the audience, Dr Amjad Waheed, CEO, NBP Fund Management called for academia to market their research and services just like products to entice the industrial sector. Sharing his views, Rafique Mustafa, representing the Planning and Development department, Sindh government, said the industry, academia and the government must join hands to find avenues for growth in their respective sectors. Veqar ul Islam, Director, Jaffer Business Systems, Dr Muhammad Memon, Chairman BISE, Hyderabad, Engr Irfan Ahmed, Chairman IEEE, Karachi and Dr Zain-ul-Abidin, Director General, R&D, HEC were also included in this interactive panel discussion.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019