A two-day International Conference on Entrepreneurial Engineering (ICEE 2016) was held at the Institute of Business Management (IoBM) on August 27, 28, 2016 at the Entrepreneurship and Management Excellence Center (EMEC).
A two-day International Conference on Entrepreneurial Engineering (ICEE 2016) was held at the Institute of Business Management (IoBM) on August 27, 28, 2016 at the Entrepreneurship and Management Excellence Center (EMEC).
The theme for ICEE 2016 was “Commercialization of Research/Projects – From Prototype to Products to Profits.” The ICEE 2016 invited faculty from various universities to present their research papers, thoughts, and visions linked to the theme of the ICEE.
Rector IoBM, Mr. Talib S. Karim delivered the welcome address at the ICEE 2016 where he mentioned the challenges IoBM faced when initiating an engineering program and highlighted how IoBM encourages its students to develop entrepreneurial mindsets. While delivering the keynote address, Dean IoBM, Dr. Syed Irfan Hyder presented five key points pertaining to why engineering courses offered at universities in Pakistan have not reached a noteworthy status. He was of the view that the mindset of engineering students and their family background, the demographics of these students, the curriculum recommended by the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) and the Higher Education Commission (HEC), the teaching and lab methodologies being followed by engineering universities and providing students with an enabling environment will enhance the operations and working of such universities in Pakistan.
The Guest of Honor at the ICEE 2016 was Dr. Amjad Waheed, CEO, NBP Fullerton Asset Management Ltd. During his speech, Dr. Amjad said that entrepreneurship is the vision to grasp an opportunity and to create businesses that give birth to jobs in the market. He elucidated upon that entrepreneurs’ decision to take calculated risks gives them an opportunity to succeed in pursuing their business idea. In this regard, he presented his own example when he was aspiring to invest in his company and the challenges he faced when doing so. Also speaking at the ICEE 2016 was Dr. Zahir Ali Syed, Dean Usman Institute of Technology (UIT). He emphasized over the fact that the academia must give engineering students the inspiration, resources, and opportunities to create products to help them establish their businesses.
The three sessions held on the first day of the ICEE 2016 were Plenary Session: Entrepreneurial Engineering: Commercialization of Research/Projects; Technical Session-II: Startup Phase Issues: From Prototype To Products To Profits, which was moderated by Dean IoBM, Dr. Syed Irfan Hyder; and Technical Session-III: Opportunities in Commercialization of Research/Projects, moderated by Mr. Ekhlaque Ahmed, Assistant Professor and Head of Marketing Department, IoBM. Held on the second day of the ICEE 2016 was Technical Session IV: Experience Of University Orics: The Way Forward, moderated by Dr. Shahid Amjad, Head of Department, Industrial Engineering and Management, IoBM.
Attending the ICEE 2016 were Dr. Bilal Ahmad (DHA Suffa University), Mr. Maqsood Ahmed (SZABIST), Dr. Irfan Khan (IQRA Univeristy), Dr. Rizwan Raheem Ahmed (Indus University), Mr. Azhar Rizvi, Dr. Haseena Khatoon (FAST), Dr. Shoaib Zaidi (Habib University), Mr. Sikander Kareem (Bank Alfalah), Dr. Shahnawaz Ali Syed (IQRA University), Mr. Nawaz Ahmed (IoBM), Mr. Humayun Qureshi, Dr. Naviad Jamil Malik (DHA Suffa Univeristy), Dr. Zulfiqar Umrani (MUET), Dr. Izhar Hussain (IBA), Mr. S.M Asim Ali Rizvi (B.U), Mr. Ubaid Younus (GPS Technology), Mr. Saboor Khwaja (TECH/Adsell), Mr. Moin Ali Khan (IoBM), Mr. Rehan Muzammil Butt (MAJU), Mr. S. Azfar Hussain (ICCBS), Mr. Umair Sani, and Mr. Rizwan Khan (TECH). Participating in the Conference via video link were Mr. Murray (Venture Capitalist, USA), Mr. Athar Usama, and Mr. Zia Imran. Ms. Seema Ansari, Head Of Department, College of Engineering and Sciences, IoBM, delivered the vote of thanks at the conclusion of the ICEE 2016.
