Highlights
PEP Foundation and Islamic International University, Islamabad MEET
A meeting was held to reaffirm the priority of making the alumni association more significant for fundraising
On March 29, 2019, a meeting between the PEP Foundation and Islamic International University, Islamabad was held to make the current alumni association more exciting and distinguished. This meeting was called by the Rector, Islamic International University, Islamabad to discuss and decide some tangible steps to make a vibrant alumni association of the University. The meeting was attended by Professor Dr. Masoom Yasinzai- Rector IIUI; Ms. Ramla Batool Naqvi- Senior Program Manager PEP Foundation; Ms. Nuzhat Zareen- Additional Director (Finance)/UAFA; Mr. Muhammad Aqeel Ahmed- Assistant Director (UAFA).
Different fundraising drives and activities were shared and discussed by PEP Foundation that include: thematic fun fair of arts & sale of crafts, branded/embroidered cloth exhibition, food festivals, different seminars, forums and a faculty walk to create an awareness of fundraising activities. Different aspects of the promotion of the Alumni association were also discussed. A tentative timeline was also developed to strengthen the alumni association and make it more viable.
A follow up meeting was held to discuss in detail the Student Advancement Fund and the significant role of the alumni association in this fund.
PEP Foundation Recently Partnered with UBI Global
UBI Global is an international organization that brings together 700 incubation programs from over 70 countries as an interactive learning community. Based in Stockholm, Sweden, UBI works to learn and share what makes global innovation hubs successful. UBI also connects corporations and governments to foster cross border collaborations and startup growth.
PEP Foundation with its partner HEC, has been working with Universities on best practises. To date, 30 university incubators and a total of 56 incubator programs (including non-university incubators) from Pakistan have become UBI Global members through the PEP Foundation. Many of these registered incubation programs participated in the UBI World Benchmark Study 2019 which looks at an Incubator's/Accelerator’s individual impact and provides a performance assessment based on international incubator benchmarks. Based on this participation, a special country report for Pakistan will be published for the first time. Participation in the bench marking study also helped Incubators/Accelerators with
Global recognition
PR and marketing materials
sponsor/partner/investor matchmaking opportunities
incubation and acceleration best practices
Invitations to the World Incubation Summit 2019 held in Doha, Qatar
Student Advancement Fund Endowment (SAFE)
Promotion of Education in Pakistan Foundation visited its SAFE Partner universities - Bahria University and National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) in Islamabad. The major objectives of the visits were to discuss how to strategically align the fundraising function and develop a fundraising strategy.
Dr. Khalid Iqbal, President Promotion of Education in Pakistan (PEP) Foundation along with Ms. Ramla Batool, Senior Program Manager, PEP Foundation visited both universities. Rector NUST briefed about the recent developments at the University, and shared the ecosystem that has been established to support the nation-building initiatives of NUST. In a second session, Head of Advancement shared a comprehensive brief with respect to the research and student support endeavours of the University, and Director Finance discussed the progress and growth of the Student Advancement Fund Endowment (SAFE) established by PEP Foundation. This meeting was followed by a meeting with Director Research to discuss the potential avenues of research collaboration with NUST.
Rector, Bahria University with his team also shared its progress, challenges and way forward to increase the size of endowment fund. PEP Foundation committed its technical support to work with each institution to build a framework and practical steps to enhance the fundraising activities for the endowment fund. In addition, to foster peer learning, we will be sharing success stories from various institutions. (if you have a success story you would like featured, please email ramla.batool@pepfoundation.org
SAFE Success Story
Organization: National University of Sciences and Technology
Team Members: Maria Qadri and Sana Muneer
Achievement: Increased its endowment fund by 70 % per year, through its NEED Initiative
How did they do it? Launched on May 16, 2015, NUST Endowment for Educational Development (NEED) Initiative is a flagship programme of NUST University Advancement Office (UAO) that brings together NUST family and friends to join the league of influencers, who can help us ensure that quality education is possible for everyone who deserves it.
In the last 5 years alone, NUST has disbursed approximately USD 14 Million (PKR 1.4 Billion) in scholarships. The primary objective of the NEED Initiative is to uplift the socioeconomic standing of all marginalised scholars at NUST by offering them an equal opportunity to write their own destiny through educational enlightenment. The program has an anticipated goal of USD 60 Million. To learn more download the NEED Initiative brochure.
Sughra Begum Education Policy Center
The Sughra Begum Center for Education Policy and Development established in Punjab University, Lahore specifically for the national advocacy of the enhancement of accessibility and quality of education in Pakistan. From 2012 to date, 97 students have graduated from the center. Currently 75 students are enrolled in the MPhil Education Policy and Development Program. Since the inception of the department, the students worked on some critical and important topics for research that includes;
Girls’ Career Aspiration: The Impact of Parents’ Economic and Educational Status on Educational and Career Pathway
Development of Pakistan’s Higher Education System: Review of National Educational Policies (1969-2009)
Teachers’ Concern and Attitude Toward Inclusive Education
Globalization and Revolutionzation in Higher Education of Pakistan
Student Start-up Business Centers (SSBC)s
Virtual University, Lahore
Student Startup Business center, Virtual University of Pakistan organized a seminar titled “Entrepreneurship: A challenging but rewarding profession” on May 03, 2019 at Virtual University Head Office Lahore. Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Multan, and Gujranwala Campuses were connected through video conferencing. In the seminar, young and dynamic entrepreneurs Mr. Usman Mustafa, Ms. Myne Butt (Myne's Cakery) and Mr. Majid Hussain shared their entrepreneurial experiences with us.The session was broadcasted live on YouTube as well.
An Interview of invited entrepreneur Ms. Mehreen Omer known as Myne Butt, was also conducted Interview is available at : https://www.facebook.com/VUSSBC/videos/326800294935915/
Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro
Dr. Zulfiqar Ali Umrani, Manager Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (IEC), held a session under the title: Emerging Technologies, Education and Entrepreneurship in the 1stInternational Conference on Computational Sciences & Technologies (April 7 – 11, 2019) in which different startups (RINU, SSBC & IdeaGist) and students of MUET participated.
Center for Entrepreneurial Development- IBA Karachi organized EXON 2.0 on April 29 - 30, 2019 and IEC-MUET incubated startups won first prize in five categories (Technology, Industry Innovation, Health and Energy) from overall Pakistan.
University of Science and Technology (UST), Bannu
During the quarter, Student Start up Business Center, UST Bannu called for the next business plan competition. Twenty students submitted their applications and after a successful start up committee meeting, six business plans were selected for the presentation. The shortlisted participants pitched their ideas before the Board of Management. The final decision will be made in a meeting with the Vice Chancellor and the board. It is scheduled in later July 2019.
PEP FELLOWS - The stories that inspire us
Nazir Ahmed got emotional while recalling the time when he applied for the PEP Scholarship and received it. He said, "I was a very hardworking student from the early days of my school and had never been dependent on my parents. It was 1996, I got an admission in Balochistan University for BS Agriculture." He shared that he was not hopeful and could not believe it when he found out that he had received the scholarship for his graduation from PEP Foundation.
When he completed his graduation, he said, he continued working hard and never gave up. During that time the Ministry of Science and Information Technology Islamabad announced a scholarship for a one-year post graduation in Information Technology in COMSATS University Islamabad.
Fortunately, he was among the scholarship holders and completed a one-year IT diploma from COMSATS. Meanwhile, he appeared as programmer for grade BPS-17 in WAPDA, where he served for 2 years in Management Information Systems (MIS). In 2006, Balochistan Public Service Commission announced posts for Agriculture Officer in Agriculture Extension Department, he passed the competitive test and secured the position on open merit. He is still working as an Agriculture Officer in that department.
He has also completed his M.Phil in Biotechnology during this time. Now as a future plan he is seeking some fellowships and scholarships for a PhD in Agriculture Biotechnology. He believes that innovation in agriculture can be a game changer in Pakistan and can strengthen and improve the economy of Pakistan.
Nazir Ahmad is currently serving the Department of Agriculture in the Director’s Office of Adaptive Reasearch, Balochistan
Knowledge Sharing
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
Chinese tech giant Huawei has announced it will invest 300 million U.S. dollars every year over the next five to ten years for funding research in basic science and technology.
Huawei established the Institute of Strategic Research to focus on research into cutting-edge technology, and the company will invest 300 million U.S. dollars each year to fund academic research in basic science and technology, said William Xu, director of the Huawei Board, at the annual global analyst summit at its headquarters in Shenzhen in southern China.
According to Xu, Huawei is moving into the era of "Innovation 2.0", in which the company will overcome bottlenecks in theories and basic technologies hindering the development of information and communication technology. Read Full article here
