The Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development (CIED), Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST) Awantipora and the Industrial Association Lassipora (IAL) inked an MOU to collaborate on skill development, entrepreneurship and innovation.The purpose of this Industry-Academia collaboration is to provide IUST students with multi-industry internship opportunities as well as to assist small and medium-sized enterprises in the Lassipora Industrial Estate in Pulwama, to innovate and upgrade their businesses which now number over 400.Vice Chancellor IUST, Prof. Shakil A. Romshoo, who was the Chief Guest on the occasion called this MOU yet another landmark achievement in the journey of IUST’s academia industry partnership and said, “Challenges in the implementation of National Education Policy-2020 provide an opportunity for both academia and industry to collaborate in skilling the students and would inter alia help MSME’s by making use of IUST’s initiatives for the promotion of innovation, incubation, entrepreneurship, research and development.”Prof. Romshoo announced during the MoU signing ceremony that Academia-Industrial Council will be established at IUST with representation from the industry leadership and that the Council will help in establishing a skill-oriented and market-driven educational ecosystem in the university, which will be in sync with the National Educational Policy-2020.
Furthermore, he stated that CIED-IUST will launch industry-driven open elective courses in the university.Dean Academic Affairs, Prof. A.H. Moon, while emphasizing collaborations internships and trainings for the IUST students, also stressed the importance of a strong technological partnership in the areas of Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, Internet of Things (IOT), and other areas, that can help business enterprises identify their relevance in the ever-changing global open market economy.President of the Industrial Association of Lassipora, Haji Muhammad Muzafar Ahangar pledged IAL’s full support for collaboration with the IUST in the implementation of all the initiatives outlined in the MoU. He further noted that the varsity students could benefit from at-least 30 lines of industrial operations active at the industrial park. Financial Secretary of the IAL, Mr. Sarwar Malik, gave a brief overview of the IAL and expressed his hope that this academic-industry collaboration would provide a glimmer of hope for the unemployed educated youth of the UT.Director CIED, Dr. Parvez A. Mir stated the vision for establishing the Centre for innovation and Entrepreneurship Development (CIED) at IUST which is to inculcate the entrepreneurial culture among students and industrialists in the IUST, and to make students industry-ready through skill- and market-driven education.