LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader and former minister Malik Abdul Qayyum has called for cementing academia-industry ties to address the problems being faced by industry and the business community.

Mr Qayyum, addressing a ceremony here on Sunday said a close liaison between the two sectors could bridge the gap between demand and supply of skilled human resource.

He said the key to economic growth was now the human resource equipped with knowledge and technology.

He said China emerged as a giant in the world market by tapping the potential of their human resource.

The PTI leader regretted that the allocation of funds for research in science and technology in the country was meager and the lack of applied research was detrimental to industrial progress.

He stressed the academia and corporate sector should sit together to address future research needs of the country, and devise a strategy to avoid heavy spending on technology transfer from abroad.

He pointed out that in Netherlands about 99.9 percent research work was being done by varsity teachers and funded by industrialists.

“We must remember there is no substitute for an indigenous leadership which understands that real wealth is found in the happiness and security of individual human being.”

Published in Dawn, September 28th , 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play