LAHORE: Pakistan Chemical Manufacturers Association (PCMA) and the University of Engineering and Technology (UET) have instituted a joint committee to evolve a long-term plan to conduct research projects for benefit of the chemical sector under the Industry-Academia Linkages Programme.
PCMA spokesman said that the joint committee discussed various proposals to synergise activities of chemical industry with academia by identifying demand-driven research projects for bringing in innovative and best practices for adoption.
It was decided in the first meeting with Chemical Engineering Department (CED), and Polymer & Process Engineering Department (PPED) of UET Lahore that PCMA would propose five projects from UET’s final year students from and one of its members would take the responsibility of co-supervision.
The CED would propose training programs and titles to PCMA that would conduct Training Needs Assessment (TNA) and arrange training to be conducted by CED, he maintained. CED also agreed to arrange a symposium for a broader interaction of its students with PCMA in September this year.
He mentioned that first joint committee meeting was chaired by CED Chairman Dr Naveed Ramzan, and was attended by PPED Chairman Dr Asif Ali Qaiser, CED Associate Professor Dr Tanveer Iqbal and a team of five Assistant Professors. The PCMA Secretary General and Chief Operating Officer Iqbal Kidwai and Chief Consultant Tahir Jamal Qadir were also present.
During the meeting, the spokesman said that Iqbal Kidwai highlighted the significance of Industry-Academia Linkages Programme and expressed gratitude to the UET management for extending strong cooperation in this regard.
Kidwai acknowledged that PCMA and UET had set an ideal example of collaboration in reference with Industry-Academia Linkages, which would encourage the other institutions to adopt the similar long-term mechanism. He hoped the collaborative projects of PCMA and UET would prove to be of equal benefit for the chemical industry and academic research sector.
