Pakistan gets first Center for Industrial Innovation and AI under new MoU

July 24, 2026 (MLN): The Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC), National University of Technology (NUTECH) Islamabad, and NED University of Engineering and Technology (NED UET) Karachi have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to set up Pakistan's first Center for Industrial Innovation and Artificial Intelligence (CIINAI).

CIINAI, is a platform meant to speed up industrial modernization through advanced technologies.

The proposed center will support applied research, facilitate technology transfer and develop AI-based industrial solutions aimed at lifting productivity, competitiveness and sustainable economic growth.

The MoU was signed  at a ceremony held at NUTECH, bringing together industry, academia and government to promote innovation and research-driven industrial development.

The initiative is being carried out by PIDC under the leadership of Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Industries and Production, Haroon Akhtar Khan, and is aligned with Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif's vision of a modern, technology-driven industrial economy, APP reported.

Speaking at the ceremony, Haroon Akhtar Khan described the establishment of CIINAI as a historic milestone in the country's industrial development.

He said closer collaboration between industry, academia and research institutions was among the government's foremost priorities under the National Industrial Policy, and that the center would integrate advanced manufacturing technologies, artificial intelligence and applied research under a single platform to accelerate industrial modernization.

He added that the initiative would help improve product quality, optimize manufacturing processes and strengthen Pakistan's standing in international markets, and that the government remained committed to aligning the industrial sector with global technological advancements and encouraging the adoption of AI across manufacturing industries.

Strong industry-university partnerships, he remarked, form the foundation of a modern, knowledge-based economy.

Copyright Mettis Link News