Dr. Javaid Laghari, former Chairman of the Higher Education Commission and Chairman of the HEC National Task Force, visited Dawood University of Engineering and Technology on Monday, October 5, 2026, at National Aerospace Science and Technology Park Silicon Valley 2 in Karachi, to review the performance and effectiveness of the university’s Research Product Development Unit. He was accompanied by Air Commodore Farhan Ahmed, Project Director at Citadel Pathfinder, and Tahira Shakeel, Manager Business Development at Citadel Pathfinder, with the visit also covering a broader assessment of DUET’s Business Incubation Centers and its ongoing efforts to promote research, innovation, entrepreneurship and academic excellence.
The delegation was received by Prof. Dr. Syed Asif Ali Shah, Registrar, and the Director of ORIC, who welcomed the visiting guests. The group first toured the Drilling Simulation Lab within the Department of Petroleum and Gas Engineering, where Dr. Darya Khan Bhutto, Laboratory In-charge, explained the lab’s functionality and discussed opportunities for international affiliations and collaborations aimed at raising the lab’s global recognition and professional standards. The delegation recognized the lab’s potential for capacity building and professional development in petroleum and gas engineering, both nationally and internationally, and emphasized the need for specialized training programs for engineers and industry professionals, along with internationally recognized training certifications.
During the visit, the delegation met with founders and teams from seven startups incubated at RPDU, two of which have already commenced business operations, while five newly incubated startups at the initial business stage are still developing and refining their products ahead of commercialization. The startup teams presented their business models, achievements, market potential and future growth plans, and the visiting delegation shared feedback on business development and commercialization while praising the vision of DUET Vice Chancellor Engr. Prof. Dr. Samreen Hussain in building out this entrepreneurial infrastructure within the university.
The visit concluded with discussions focused on building closer industry-academia ties, promoting innovation-driven entrepreneurship, advancing research commercialization, and creating more opportunities for skill development and professional training among DUET’s youth. The review reflects a broader national effort, spanning HEC and organizations like Citadel Pathfinder, to formally assess how effectively university-based research units are translating academic work into functioning startups and commercially viable technology.
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