Mirpur, AJ&K – Dr. Sohaib Manzoor and Dr. Imran Aziz, both affiliated with the Department of Electrical Engineering at Mirpur University, emerged victorious in the Pakistan Innovation Fund Awards 2023, securing a substantial Rs. 10 million for their groundbreaking tech startup.

Aligned with the directives of the Prime Minister and in harmony with Vision 2025, the Ministry of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives initiated the Pakistan Innovation Fund. 

Individuals and entities from both the public and private sectors were invited to submit proposals for innovative projects fostering the development of new products, services, and value addition in existing products, with a focus on productivity enhancement in sectors such as Governance, Agriculture, Education, Health, Tech Startups, and Women Entrepreneurship.

In the initial phase, proposals were scrutinized nationwide. Subsequently, a committee comprising senior government officials, including Minister of Planning and Development Engr. Ahsan Iqbal, experts, and industry leaders evaluated the proposed ideas, recommending awards for outstanding projects.

Dr. Sohaib Manzoor, Lecturer and Manager of Innovation and Commercialization in the Office of Research, Innovation, and Commercialization (ORIC), and Dr. Imran Aziz, Lecturer, submitted a compelling proposal related to Tech Startups focusing on Wireless Communication. 

Following the shortlisting of their project, Dr. Sohaib Manzoor presented a persuasive pitch to the Pakistan Innovation Fund Team, securing approval for the production of the “Smart Programmable Access Point,” poised to contribute significantly to the country’s IT hardware exports. Minister Ahsan Iqbal congratulated Dr. Sohaib Manzoor on this noteworthy achievement.

Brig (R) Prof. Dr. Muhammad Younus Javed, SI(M), Vice Chancellor of Mirpur University of Science and Technology (MUST), lauded the efforts of the accomplished scientists, urging them to continue their work at a similar pace to bring honor to MUST, Mirpur AJ&K, and contribute to uplifting the economy of Pakistan.