Contemporary challenges of the Islamic World and response strategies for renascences

Contemporary challenges of the Islamic World and response strategies for renascences

I am a Person of the Islamic World – Can someone tell me?

WHY????????

• I am a person of the Islamic World – can someone tell me?
• I am a person born and live in a country belong to the Islamic World.
• I love my country, my people and people of the Islamic World
• I am enemy of none and wish well-being of everyone
• I believe in peace, harmony, and respect for others’ ideologies
• I am a person of the Islamic World and told that
• I am a successor of those who founded science, medicine and technology
• I am a successor of those who founded arts, culture and governance
• I am a person of the Islamic World and also told that
• I belong to this planet and own its large part
• I belong to its part which has a variety of weathers, crops, and intellect
• I own oceans, oil reserves, deserts, and hills at most
• I am a person of the Islamic World and can someone tell me that why
• During my education, I am not taught cases, models, examples and stories of my world
• Origin of all the technologies, I experience do not belong to my world
• The models, processes, systems, standards and ethics, I love, are not given by my fellows
• I am a person of the Islamic World – can someone tell me?

WHY????????

Dr. Muhammad Ahsan, UK based academician and researcher, has designed a workshop to explore the answers of these and many other similar questions. The two-day participatory workshop will focus on the contemporary challenges of the Islamic World and response strategies for renascences (Programme: Online: 08^th and 09^th March 2013; Onsite: 15^th and 16^th March 2013 (Islamabad). In the context of the present workshop, needless to say that internally weak, under-developed, frustrated, conflict-ridden, suffering from internal tensions and abused by external interventions, the Muslim World is in a state of crisis. In Muslim countries it is customary to blame external powers and imperialism for all manners of ills. Although, this habit may point up many of the grievances and obstacles Muslims face, it cannot explain the internal causes of the ills. 

The biggest challenge for the contemporary Muslim Ummah, is how to come out of this complex and integrated network of crises. This unique and specifically designed workshop will lead the participants from understanding the fabrics of the crises to ways forward to a practical solution. This workshop is unique in the sense that for the past over two and half decades, the trainer (Dr. M. Ahsan) has been intensively engaged in researching on diversified issues and challenges faced by the Muslim World. He is the first Muslim intellectual who has presented the Agenda 2050, which step by step, leads to the development and integration of Muslim countries. The IRP can confidently say that the participants will particularly benefit from the blend of theoretical and empirical strategy used in this workshop.

Survival without Innovation ??? The Role of Technology Exhibition

 Innovation is the key,,,, Technology exhibition is way to promote 

Survival without Innovation??

 

Innovation is the key buzz word in today’s world in every circle you name it like economics, finance, IT, ICT, education, social and political domains. There was era when organizations can survive by producing similar products and selling to niche and unexplored segments. Then we turned into globalized world where you do not find a segment left due to distance or reach. Now the customer is just a single click away.

There is point to notice the race of patenting among 4-5 big countries as USA, Japan, China, Germany, etc. and top 100 organizations called innovative organizations. The curves of patent filing are increasing upward showing drastic improvement. The theory of nations’ competitiveness has started proving where countries started specializing in certain areas and focusing on major industrial sectors.
 

No one can compete Italy in design, Germany in tools, Japan in quality and comfort and USA in aviation industry. Similarly, we found Korea, India and China are emerging with certain positions and specializations. This clearly indicates that product differentiation based on innovation is the key to succeed as one of strategic advice by Porter. 

Innovation is Reflected by Exhibitions

 

Innovation Exhibition and Summit plays a key role in promotion of such innovation. Germany is known player in world class technology exhibitions. Other countries are also coming up such initiatives of innovation summits and exhibition.

In Pakistan, Annual Ideas Expo has turned into a success story. The innovation summit is also a regular technology exhibition in Pakistan. This innovation summit is conducted by Institute of Research Promotion in collaboration with Pakistan Science Foundation, University of the Punjab, PASTIC, National Forum for Environment and Health and others.

The innovation summit and technology exhibitions help to find investor of your technology, get support for commercialization of your technology, get R&D funding from PSF, find related expertise and support, link your research with industry stakeholders and win Innovation Award.

The role of Technology Exhibition 

 

Innovation Summit and technology exhibitions are annual events to exhibit industry driven ideas, products and technologies. The Summit provides great opportunity to network with innovation gurus, find commercial partners, promote technology and link your idea with stakeholders. The summit also creates a competition for innovation by providing Innovation Awards for Technology, Products and Ideas. The technologies presented in the summit are supported for funding, commercialization and further developments.  The industry can exhibit Innovative Products, academia can exhibit Innovative Technologies and students/researchers can display Posters of Innovative Ideas. 

Such developments across the world reflect that organizations, societies and countries have confirmed belief that gone the era when similar products and technologies could be sold to new markets.

There are no new markets now. There is existing market and more innovative products and services. So survival without innovation is next to impossible and technology exhibition play critical role in this regard. 

Protection of innovative ideas- better understanding of intellectual property rights is needed

Protection of innovative ideas- better understanding of intellectual property rights is needed

Infringe with intellectual property right and violation of IPRs is part of daily news now. As the we are in the technology century, where we are experiencing innovations happening everywhere. Particularly, IT field has given the boost to new ideas and innovative application in the human life. This has caused the growing concern over protection of ideas and compliance with IPR laws. 

Awareness about IPR laws

As share of emerging economies is increasing I global share of innovation, the need for awareness of IPRs is increased. IPO organizations are set up in public sectors of many countries but effective awareness campaign about IPRs is not initiated yet. There is serious need that public and private sector should dedicate part of the effort to promote IPR awareness in universities and industry particularly. 

IPR as course in degree programs 

Although, IPR is partially taught as law subject in law degrees, but it is not perceived as management subject. Whereas management graduates have role to protect IPRs in the organizations. Similarly students of applied and pure sciences are not taught IPRs. Every science student has certain role in business organization to produce or protect critical strength of the organization. Similarly, research degrees like MS/M/Phil/PhD do not offer course or part of course on IPR. Whereas, research students are supposed to produce innovative ideas and add value in the existing body of knowledge. They must be given training on how to protect their innovative ideas.

IPR managers 

There is dedicated job or part of job to manage IPR in the large scale organizations. But this culture is not developed in mid-scale organizations which produce sufficient number of innovative products and solutions. The industry having innovative working styles must allocate some resource or create job to take care of IPR

IPR professionals

As the world of innovation is growing, we need more IPR professionals in emerging economies. There is market for these professionals and issues have starting rising. There should be programs to develop IPR professionals and offer continues training. 

IRP offers IPR services and trainings to develop professionals. IRP has established associations in international markets and also IPO Pakistan to incorporate latest developments. Dr. Hamid Malik (Law graduate, scientist and business professional), one of IRP associates has developed himself as IPR consultant combining three essential skills of law, science and business management. Dr. Zafar Mehmood, PhD in biotechnology has experienced IPR during commercialization of own technologies and serves as resource person for trainings of IPR. 

IRP also offers open workshops, in-house trainings and consulting in management of intellectual property rights.

By Rahmat

Chief Coordinator

Institute of Research Promotion

www.irp.edu.pk

Writing thesis for the research degrees – what is missed by universities?

Writing thesis for the research degrees – what is missed by universities?

Writing thesis is a known practice for academic studies and particularly for research degrees like MS/M/Phil/PhD in every part of the world.  The number of thesis writing is growing as enrollment in higher education is increasing. With reference to developing countries like Pakistan, number of thesis writing is growing alarmingly.

What universities offer? 

Universities primarily offer 1-2 modules of research methods to orient students about technical aspects of research terminologies. Supervisors are also given by universities who are always over-loaded by number of students they are supervising. The load on supervisors is multiplied by other academic and non- academic works in the universities.

What is missing in universities for research degrees?

·       

•            Management of academic thesis

There is lack of concept of how to manage thesis well. Writing thesis does not requires only writing job. There are number of others highly influencing factors within the short period of thesis writing for research degree. To be addressed issues include; effective time management, supervisor management, stress and learning management and itself thesis management.

• ·         Career Link with research thesis

There is no obvious link established during academic studies that how the thesis writing will impact the career of research scholars. Thesis writing is a very comprehensive work and must be linked with carrier objectives. To be addressed issues include; selection of thesis title in line with life objectives, design of thesis for career success, using thesis work to win scores in professional career and optimizing influence of thesis on life of research scholars

• ·         Writing papers out of thesis

Although, there is increasing emphasis in university circles to publish papers before thesis submission. But practically, this dream is not being materialized by research students in most of the cases. The students are not given enough training on how to produce papers out of your research thesis. There should be a separate coaching and culture around students to be motivated to publish papers out of thesis. The design and conduct of research is very much associated with possibility of papers publications.

• ·         Writing thesis – Art of Technique

The lot of emphasis on students is to orient research terminologies and techniques and tools. Very less training is given on how artfully articulate academic thesis. We argue that design of research work in an artistic way is more important than learning how to fix ANOVA and Regression.  Students must be trained o areas higher than tools and techniques. The job of research is to create something and add in the body of knowledge.  Such innovative thinking and addition in literature is essence of research thesis.

The book recently written by Dr. Muhammdad Ahsan is very effective and useful to learn how to combine art and techniques to produce well-worth research thesis. The thesis must offers assured publications, support for career growth and positive influence on researcher’s life. IRP workshops on writing academic thesis are designed to serve these missing areas of thesis writing.  

by Rahmat

Chief Coordinator 

Institute of Research Promotion 

 www.irp.edu.pk