Sir Syed University of Engineering & Technology (SSUET) Karachi had a session with Prof Dr Halim Hamid Redhwi, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Dhahran Techno Valley Company (DTVC), King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) who talked on the “Journey of an academic institution in creating an economic impact”.
Addressing the session, he informed that the Dhahran Techno Valley (DTV) was created to promote a knowledge-based economy in Dhahran, such that it is a hub for entrepreneurship and a launch pad for innovators from within and outside KFUPM. The Techno Valley already has a thriving ecosystem of more than xx large technology centers and numerous startups that aim to become successful small to medium enterprises. The dynamic energy centric ecosystem has been created to promote knowledge-based economy.
He pointed that nothing can be developed without support of the industry. However, we have to go according to their desires, not to your own. This is the best time to collaborate with the industry to produce commercially viable products. There are good research universities aligned with the industry.
Dhahran Techno Valley hosts R&D centers for major multinational corporations and engaged in many research collaborations with world-renowned universities. DTV has successful partnerships with the industry and businesses such as Saudi Aramco, SABIC, electric and telecom companies, local banks, in addition to the government institutions.
Prof Dr Halim Hamid Redhwi told that the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) is a world-renowned university and it is consistently ranked among the top 200 global universities and 3rd in the Arab region universities. The university has 97% Arab students and 3% foreign students. KFUPM is the ultimate destination for impactful research and innovation in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The university has diverse, vibrant, and multicultural community of faculty, staff, and students, representing 57 nationalities.
While expressing his views, Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Vali Uddin said that it is hard to change the mindset of people who are reluctant to get out of their comfort zone. Today it is not so easy to survive merely on imparting education and teaching, instead we need to discover more avenues for growth and development and obviously to develop strong relations with industry.
Dean, Faculty of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Prof Dr Muhammad Aamir gave a comprehensive and informative presentation about Sir Syed University.
Arshad Yousafzai is a Karachi-based journalist covering Education and Human Rights. He can be reached on Twitter @Arshadyousafzay
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