IBA Center for Entrepreneurial Development, Innovation and Research and Mohammad Ali Jinnah University’s Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialization have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, bringing together two universities under one shared mission around entrepreneurial development. The signing ceremony took place on the first of September, twenty twenty six, at IBA’s main campus in Karachi.
The partnership is set to boost entrepreneurship, innovation, and research collaboration, opening doors for students, faculty, and entrepreneurs on both sides through training, incubation, and IP commercialization. This combination of activities addresses multiple stages of the entrepreneurial and research pipeline, from initial skill building through structured incubation support to the commercialization of intellectual property generated through academic research.
The MoU was signed by Doctor Lalarukh Ejaz, Director of IBA CEDIR and Assistant Professor at SBS, IBA Karachi, and Parkash Lohana, Director of ORIC and the Center for Skills and Professional Development at MAJU. Their joint signing brings together leadership from two distinct academic institutions, each contributing complementary strengths, IBA’s established entrepreneurship centre and MAJU’s research and commercialization office.
The inclusion of IP commercialization as a specific area of focus distinguishes this partnership from more general entrepreneurship collaborations, pointing to a structured pathway for translating academic research generated at MAJU into commercially viable outcomes with support from IBA CEDIR’s entrepreneurship expertise. This kind of formal bridge between research output and commercial application addresses a gap that has often limited how effectively Pakistani universities convert academic work into practical, market ready ventures.
Both organisations described the partnership as building an ecosystem where ideas do not just stay ideas, reflecting a shared commitment to moving beyond conceptual research and business ideation toward tangible outcomes for students, faculty, and entrepreneurs connected to either institution. The agreement adds to IBA CEDIR’s continued pattern of building institutional partnerships aimed at expanding its entrepreneurship and innovation support network across Karachi’s broader academic community.
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