Capital University of Science & Technology (CUST) Islamabad is a progressive academic institution that believes in actively contributing to the society through strong emphasis on research, innovation and commercialization. CUST Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC) is recognized by higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan on 31st August 2023. The University believes in effective commercialization of its through research and innovation endeavors. We have a strong faith that our development efforts should be based on the solid footing of world class research. It is heartening to see that our research contributions are growing at a satisfactory pace and I expect our highly capable faculty and motivated students to do equally well in taking this research to the footsteps of society through the wheels of commercialization with a great sense of commitment and responsiveness.
Mr. Afzaal Ahmed Khan
Director, ORIC
Objectives
| 1 | The ORIC provides strategic and operational support to the University’s research activities/program, and will have a central role in facilitating the University’s research outcomes. |
| 2 | The objective of the establishment of the Offices of Research, Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC) is to develop, expand, enhance and manage the university’s research programs and to link research activities directly to the educational, social and economic priorities of the university and its broader community. |
| 3 | The ORIC is also responsible for assuring that the quality of research, reflects the highest international standards and advances the stature of the university among the world’s best research institutions. |
Scope
In pursuit of its mission the ORIC has the responsibility of guaranteeing that all research programs and policies reflect the core values of academic freedom, professional integrity and ethical conduct and full compliance with all policies, legal requirements and operational standards of the university.
CUST ORIC Aims to:
| 1 | Promoting and enhancing cross-cutting and multi-disciplinary research initiatives |
| 2 | Supporting the university’s strategic research directions and policies |
| 3 | Increasing and diversifying external research funding |
| 4 | Improving recruitment and retention of top faculty |
| 5 | Improving integration of research and education at all levels of the university |
| 6 | Improving translation of research into the public benefit |
| 7 | Strengthening university-industry relationships |
| 8 | Promoting entrepreneurship, technology-transfer and commercialization activities that energize and support the local and national economy |
Organogram
Activities
Research:
(a) Circulate national and international Calls for Proposals, such as, NRPU–HEC, PSF, Peridot, Erasmus+
(b) Circulate calls for conferences and competitions relevant to different departments
(c) Contact multiple universities nationally and internationally to work on joint projects. Like for Erasmu+, ORIC emailed 100+ European universities; 5 have given positive response
(d) Coordinating among partners to build a proposal, like Erasmus+
Innovation:
(a) Collection of Intellectual Property/Policy Advocacy (IP/PA) forms from all departments of the university
(b) Study abstracts of MS/PhD theses of Management Science department to identify potential Policy Advocacy cases
(c) Meeting with Dean and respective supervisors to finalize PA form
(d) IP filing (Patents, Copyright, Trademark & Trade secrets) of innovative ideas
(e) Evaluation of IP case from expert before submission to IP Office
(f) Training of faculty members on IP related issues
(g) Working for inter-departmental projects (FYPs), and contacting industry for co-supervision of FYPs
Commercialization:
(a) Approaching industry and sharing them the FYP ideas being worked in different departments to find an interested partner from industry
(b) FYP funding program (currently Cohort 6) is on; it involves getting approval from competent authority, publicizing within university, getting projects from departments, running the selection process through a committee, giving pre-seed funding to selected projects, hosting them at Takhleeq, training them on starting startup
(c) Managing hands-on trainings & workshops planned by different departments, like CE, ME, CS, SE
Capacity Building:
(a) Coordinating with industrial partners to design and execute trainings
(b) Seminar/ Conferences & Talk Session for students from industrial partners
(c) To ensure participation and facilitation of faculty, staff, and students in different events, seminars, and competitions organized by other HEIs and industries
(d) Coordination with different industries for academia industry liaison
(e) Signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) with different organizations
(f) Students internship and placement in industries
(g) Visiting industry for collaboration
(h) Facilitating participation of students in different competitions
(i) Research portal developed to facilitate proposal submissions and R&D project data management.
(j) BZChair is a portal developed for conference management.
(k) Updating of ORIC website