ISLAMABAD – The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and the National University of Science & Technology (NUST) have agreed to boost entrepreneurship in clean technology innovation in Pakistan.
The estimated total volume of UNIDO operations for the biennium 2012–2013 is €460 million, the value of technical cooperation delivery in 2012 amounted to $189.2 million. UNIDO’s headquarters are located at the Vienna International Centre, the UN campus that also hosts the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization.
Both the organizations in the country are already working on capacity building of national engineering universities, R&D Institutes and local manufacturers of Biomass gasifiers. They discussed multiple areas of collaboration between ranging from advisory services, incubation support, and research and development collaboration for renewable energy with special focus on local manufacturing of Biomass gasifiers and clean technology innovations. This will help further strengthen the partnership between the two organisations particularly, in the areas of energy, environment and its related facets.
UNIDO Director General Li Yong on the occasion appreciated NUST’s role in national development and emphasised that industrial development is not possible without the academia’s contribution. Li further expressed that economic growth is driven by entrepreneurship, as well as by continuous economic diversification, increasing trade, industrial upgrading and technological innovation.
He emphasised that UNIDO in Pakistan is promoting the use of sustainable energy technologies and pin-pointed the importance of renewable energy /energy efficiency in the development of the country. Addressing the event, Rector NUST Engr. Muhammad Asghar commended UNIDO’s efforts for the promotion of renewable energy technologies and specifically UNIDO/NUST joint programme on Biomass gasification technologies in Pakistan.
