Ahsan Iqbal launches 3 centres of excellence to drive innovation

August 02, 2023 (MLN): Three centers of excellence including National Center for Manufacturing (NCM), National Centre for Quantum Computing (NCQC), and National Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (NCNN) were formally launched on Tuesday by the Ministry of Planning Development & Special Initiatives, said a press release issued on the same day.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Ministry of Planning Development & Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal said that the centers have been set up to equip the country’s youth to cope with the upcoming challenges in the field of technology.

The centers will be established at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Lahore, Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology - GIK Institute – GIKI, NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi Al-Khawarizmi Institute of Computer Science, University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Lahore NUST, Islamabad.

The NCQC is not merely about adopting an emerging technology; it is about fostering a culture of innovation, nurturing a new generation of thinkers, and catalyzing the transformation of Pakistan's digital landscape.

With a robust framework in place, the aim is to not only build capacity but also create a knowledge-based ecosystem that can sustain and grow itself in the long run.

This center aspires to serve as a nexus for academic research, technological innovation, and industry application in the field of quantum computing.

It is noted that in 2017, the Planning Ministry launched seven centers which include National Centre of Robotics and Automation (NCRA), National Center of Artificial Intelligence (NCAI) at NUST, National Center for Cyber Security (NCCS) at the Air University, National Center in Big Data and Cloud Computing (NCBC), which were established in 2017-18; National Center GIS Space Applications (NCGSA), which was established in March 2020 and National Center for Livestock Breeding, Genetics & Genomics (NCLBG&G) under the Vision-2025.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Ahsan Iqbal said that the centers have been set up to equip the country’s youth to cope with the upcoming challenges in the field of technology.

He remarked that this is a century of innovations, and only those nations cab succeed will be well equipped with such weapons of knowledge and technology.

The Minister further highlighted that under the vision of 2025, several initiatives were taken particularly in the field of education to empower the youth of the country.

"This is the first time in the country’s history that the budget of Higher Education Commission (HEC) has been increased from Rs40 billion to Rs70bn said the minister," while urging the VCs to play their constructive role to improve the teaching system of the higher education.

Secretary Ministry of Planning and Development, Syed Zafar Ali Shah lauds said that Pakistan is embarking on an exciting journey in the realm of science & technology with the establishment of centers of Nano Technology, Quantum Computing & New Manufacturing.

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