Ignite and Pakistan Innovation & Testing Centre (PITC), a department of Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation and collaboration in the field of engineering innovation in Pakistan. Mr. Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui, Federal Secretary of Information Technology and Telecommunications, Mr. Asim Shahryar Husain, CEO Ignite, Engr. Dr. Nasir Mehmood Khan, Registrar/Secretary, Brig. Tariq Javed (R), Advisor on Innovation, and senior officials from the IT Ministry and Ignite attended the gathering.
Mr. Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui, Federal Secretary of IT & Telecom, spoke at the event and shared his delight at seeing the Pakistan Innovation & Testing Center (PITC) and Ignite team up for innovation under their respective organisations, the PEC and the Ministry of IT & Telecom. There is no doubt that we need to jump-start the economy and boost the business investment climate for our tech entrepreneurs. He went on to say that this partnership is in the best interests of our innovators, academics, industrialists, and academicians, who will benefit from the vast opportunities provided by Ignite and PITC’s various initiatives. NIC startups will now have access to these engineering laboratories for product creation and testing. The Ministry of Information Technology has always encouraged its departments to reach out to organisations that can help our innovation and startup ecosystem.
The Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) has been tasked with promoting advanced engineering products and local manufacturing of engineering goods, products, and services, according to Brig. Tariq Javed (R), Advisor on Innovation. PEC developed PITC to assist innovators, researchers, and product designers in developing and manufacturing engineering goods and products locally. Instead of just R&D, PEC has coined a new term: Researchers and Product Creation (R&PD). The emphasis is on collaborative production and product design/development, which includes an important component of software and hardware integration. The partnership between Ignite and PITC is the first phase in a cascade of other initiatives.
Mr. Asim Shahryar Husain, CEO Ignite, announced earlier in his welcome address that Ignite will assist engineering students from PEC approved institutions who have been recommended by PITC to apply to our network of 5 incubators through their creative ideas and products. He said that our National Incubation Centers were lacking in engineering-related equipment and facilities. As a result, this collaboration with PITC will assist us in closing the gap. Our startups will be able to test and trial their end products, as well as obtain regulatory approval assistance for their engineering goods, products, and services, such as agri-products, robots, and virtual reality. Through its DigiSkills training platform, Ignite will also provide web-based training and opportunities to engineering students and professionals, allowing them to improve their skillset in order to take advantage of new freelancing opportunities and boost Pakistan’s freelancing exports.