LAHORE, June 24, 2025: Chairperson IPO-Pakistan, Ambassador (r) Farukh Amil visited University of Management and Technology (UMT) Lahore for a meeting with the Rector Dr. Asif Raza followed by Roundtable discussion with the Faculty and Researchers of UMT.

During the meeting in the Rector Office, Dr. Asif Raza highlighted the leading role of UMT in research and management studies as one of the prominent private sector degree awarding institutes. Dr Asif Raza greatly appreciated the role of the Chairperson in bringing IPO Pakistan to the national map by a vigorous outreach program and personally visiting all the public and private sector stakeholders of IPO. He recognized the efforts of IPO in conducting innumerable workshops and seminars under the leadership of the Chairperson. Dr. Asif Raza further stated that under the new framework of Higher Education Commission (HEC) each university has to provide its contribution to the national economy. This can be made possible by securing IP rights for the students and the faculty of universities. Rector UMT further stated that patent filing is very cheap in Pakistan as opposed to patent filing in the USA.

The Chairperson IPO, praised the national and global standing of UMT. During the meeting with the Rector as well as in the Roundtable discussion with the Faculty at UMT, the Chairperson emphasized the centrality of IP in virtually everything, of how dynamic societies were pursuing IP-protected innovation, especially in the age of AI and green industrialization. He informed how students, researchers and faculty members should benefit from Inventors’ Assistance Program (IAP), a significant initiative aimed at empowering local innovators and entrepreneurs. He said that there is need of not just creating awareness in the research community but IP’s inclusion in the national school Curriculum so that future generations are in step with global knowledge and standards. He stressed that there is a need to cultivate a culture of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) for transforming Pakistan from a consumer nation into a startup nation. With reference to WIPO's International Treaty on Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge (GRATK) he highlighted its benefits for Research and Product Development (R&PD) in Pakistan. He underscored that there was the need to protect Pakistan’s Genetic Resources and Traditional Knowledge by proper mapping these indigenous resources.

Director ORIC and Innovation, UMT, Professor Abid Sherwani briefed the participants about the role of ORIC to encourage IP rights protection and importance of Technology and Innovation Support Centers (TISCs) in partnership with the ORICs for productive research partnerships given the common goals.

The Roundtable discussion afforded a detailed discussion with a lively Q&A session. The participants gave their valuable inputs for revamping IP rights registration system in Pakistan especially the timelines for Patent registration. There was deep understanding and support for protecting Pakistan's GRs. On the larger IP picture, there was appreciation of IPO-PAKISTAN reaching out directly to Universities and Research Institutes. Mr. Muhammad Ismail and Mr. Ghulam Mujtaba from IPO Islamabad while Mr. Mueed Aman Rana and Mr. Anjum Raza Bokhari from IPO Lahore office joined the Chairperson to assist during the Q&A session of the Roundtable Discussion.

Source: https://ipo.gov.pk//node/3127