AIOU to hold first-ever start-up, career expo

Students from the varsity, other educational institutions would display projects

ISLAMABAD: The Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) is set to organise the first-ever national `Projects, Start-ups and Career Expo’ to provide a platform to graduate students to showcase their projects.

The three-tier event aims to help students seek better job opportunities or to start their own business, read a statement released by the varsity.

While presiding over a meeting on Tuesday to review preparations for the event, AIOU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Shahid Siddiqui said that AIOU would act as a bridge between students and the industrial sector for socio-economic development through innovative ideas.

The university has already set up an office for research, innovation and commercialization (ORIC) to provide a link between researchers and the industries for projecting and drawing benefits from new research and innovations in various disciplines.

“Through this activity (expo), the AIOU would to provide the students with an opportunity to directly interact with the job market and industry as well as the corporate sector,” the VC added.

About the concept and broader goals of the event, he said they wanted to provide a helping hand for graduates to start their own business on the basis of research and innovation.

“China has set up the best example in this regards to exploit the strength of their youth, ensuring a better future, both at the individual and national level,” he said.

“We are planning to hold this multidisciplinary event within the next couple of months and expect that the students, not only from AIOU but other universities as well, would participate,” he added.

During the meeting, it was noted that graduate students around the country were facing unemployment, as well as becoming a burden on the national economy and it was felt that universities should realise this challenge and work closely with the industry and corporate sector to fill the gap.

For the expo, the university would provide space and the required infrastructure to students to exhibit their research-based projects. The relevant industry and corporate sector representatives would also be invited to understand their needs and issues, paving the way for taking up meaningful applied research at the academic level.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 21^st, 2017.