ACADUSTRY: Where Academia Meets the Industry

Abstract

Bridging the gap between academia and industry in Pakistan with a research-based start-up incubator and academy-industry-government liaison centre The success of a country is determined by its ability to keep up with new research and implement it in their products and services to maintain its global market reach. Failing to do so renders the industry obsolete. In today's fast-paced and globalised world, the practical application of research directly establishes the country's position in the world. Pakistan is fortunately equipped with adequate academics, with its youth excelling in both undergraduate and post graduate degrees programs, and she has a prominent industrial footprint as well. However, she faces a huge gap between these two assets. This thesis attempts to bridge this gap in the form of a building that hosts researchers, students, industrial professionals, and government representatives under the same roof, who all work together to strengthen the industry with a solid research background. Start-ups and new businesses are taken up as the method of choice for the project, to introduce the proposed research base economy in the country. The project is set in a highly pedestrianised, educational locality of Peshawar, housing a cluster of some of the oldest and most prominent universities of the country. It takes the shape of a start-up incubator with a liaison centre that brings the three stakeholders together. The aim is to create an atmosphere that maximises interaction between the different user groups and breaks down the barriers between them. The result is an institution that is a nurturing ground for fresh ideas, experimentations, and competent new businesses- the asset of a country.