University of Wah (UW), in collaboration with Pakistan Ordinance Factories (POFs), organized the 3rd UW-POFs Joint Conference on Academia's Collaboration with Industrial Organizations (CACIO-2023) on 13 December 2023. The conference aimed to bridge the gap between industry and academia by promoting research training, career development, and knowledge enhancement.
Major General. Mumtaz Hussain HI(M), DG(P) POF's graced the opening ceremony as the Chief Guest. In his address, he highlighted the significance of Industry-Academia Linkages (IAL) and the crucial role that educational institutions can play in addressing the challenges faced by the industries in Pakistan. He stressed the importance of bright ideas from academic institutes in reducing the budget of significant industrial set-ups, which can lead to the country's overall prosperity. Vice Chancellor, University of Wah, Prof. Dr. Jameel-Un Nabi, also accentuated the significance and certainty of the industrial-academic bond as a pre-requisite for harnessing mutual benefits.
To contribute actively towards achieving the goal of active IAL, one MoU between UW and Wah Nobel Group of Companies was signed on this occasion. Dignitaries, esteemed individuals, and representatives from renowned industrial and academic sectors of Pakistan, such as Pakistan Ordinance Factories (POFs), Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT), Heavy Mechanical Complex (HMT), National Centre of Physics (NCP), Air Weapon Complex (AWC), Wah Nobel Private Limited, NUST, GIK Institute, UET Taxila, University of Chakwal (UoC), Stella Technologies, FAST-NUCES, UW, and many others, attended the conference. Eight keynote speakers, Dr. Najam Abbas Naqvi, Chairman, National Centre of GIS and Space Applications (NCGSA); Prof. Dr. Wazir Zada Khan, Dean, Computer Science-UW; Mr. Saleem Janujua, Advisor, National Incubation Centre for Aerospace Technologies (NICAT); Mr. Aun Raza, Vice President, Stella Technologies; Dr. Usman Akram (TI), Professor, EME College (NUST); Dr. Hassan Mujtaba, HOD, AI Program, NUCES-FAST; Dr. Shahab Khushnood, Professor, Wah Engineering College-UW, and Dr. Humaira Razzaq, Associate Professor-UW, delivered entrancing speeches over the day. The conference was attended by a diverse group of 250 people, ranging from industrial and academic dignitaries to students.
