ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) held a seminar on ‘Clean-tech Competition’ to create better awareness in the SMEs and start-up businesses on how to maximise their business prospects by fostering innovations in clean technologies. A large number of officials from local SMEs attended the event.
The initiative was part of a three-year Global Clean-tech Innovation Programme (GCIP), currently running in seven countries, including Pakistan, and aimed at developing a sustainable entrepreneurship ecosystem by supporting clean technology innovations in the SMEs and start-up entrepreneurs in order to enable them achieve sustainable growth.
Addressing the seminar, UNIDO Pakistan National Program Coordinator Dr Shaheena Waheed highlighted the importance of clean technologies for SMEs. She said clean technology innovations have a bright future in Pakistan and in the global market. She stressed the SMEs to focus on embracing clean technology innovations to fuel green industrial revolution in the country and achieve lucrative returns. She said that UNIDO was looking to help Pakistani entrepreneurs with best ideas that address today’s pressing energy, environmental and economic challenges.
In his welcome address, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Muzzamil Hussain Sabri said that SMEs and start-up businesses were facing many challenges in accessing finance for adopting clean technologies. He emphasised that the government should create policy incentives and come up with some instruments like innovative finance, clean technology development initiatives and suitable legal and regulatory framework in order to facilitate and encourage the SMEs for going green and clean.
Clean-tech Pakistan Programme project technical expert Muhammad Hammad Bashir Saeed gave a detailed presentation on Clean-tech Competition. He said that clean-tech was a global competition aimed at encouraging SMEs to come up with new ideas for addressing issues in the areas of renewable energy, energy efficiency, water efficiency and waste to energy, and contribute to fuelling green industrial growth in the country. The programme involved extensive mentoring, training, access to investors and opportunities to showcase their innovations.
The five best ideas will receive prizes ranging from $15,000 to $20,000, plus the winners will be given further mentorship and training in Silicon Valley, US.
All winners will be funded to participate in the Clean-tech Open’s Annual Global Forum to be held in Silicon Valley, US, in November 2015. The entrepreneurs with innovative ideas could apply online by May 30 at http://www.cleantechopen.com/pakistan.
