S & T Park aims to produce high class techies

islamabad — The Higher Education Commission (HEC) will establish a National Science and Technology Park (NSTP) at a cost of Rs3 billion to encourage knowledge creation in cutting-edge technologies.

The park will be established at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) under a public-private partnership to develop and organise human and social capital to compete in global economy.

Sources said on Sunday that an amount of Rs40 million would be released in the current year to carry out initial work on the technology park.

NUST would be responsible for conceptualization and implementation of the NSTP. The university will establish the park with financial and operational support from the federal and provincial government bodies, international donors, private equity participants and venture capitalists.

The International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation (IASP), World Technological Association (WTA), and INSTP have been contacted for technical support and they responded positively.

Professionals associated with science and technology forums, multi-national companies, research parks, national and international universities would also be contacted from the platform of National Science and Technology Park.

The NSTP will encompass an entrepreneurship and innovation centre, R&D centre, science centre, technology incubation centre, manufacturing resource centre, IT and telecom data centre and learning academy that will provide technical and vocational expertise and entrepreneurship and leadership training.

The technology park will host a research commercialization centre, university-industry liaison nucleus, event management and recreational facilities.

Moreover, the park will have a distinctive knowledge brokering facility by means of which it will act as an information intermediary to provide advice on selection of goods or services, business intelligence, or research data to interested parties. — APP