Islamabad, February 03, 2023 (PPI-OT):Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Prof. Ahsan Iqbal, on Friday reviewed the performance of six centers of excellence to be established in 2017 to meet the requirements of the fourth industrial revolution under Vision 2025.

These centers include National Center of Robotics and Automation (NCRA), National Center of Artificial Intelligence (NCAI), National Center for Cyber ​​Security (NCCS), National Center for Big Data and Cloud Computing (NCBC); these include the National Center for GIS Space Applications (NCGSA) and the National Center for Livestock Breeding, Genetics and Genomics (NCLBG and G).

While presiding over the meeting, the federal minister reviewed the four-year performance of his PC One before his tenure expires in June. The meeting was attended by the respective directors of the centers and officials of the Higher Education Commission HEC. A detailed briefing on the performance was given by the directors of the respective centers in the meeting.

On this occasion, the Federal Minister said that the time has come for these centers to start generating income and also issued instructions to move them towards commercialization. The federal minister further said that these centers should be self-sustaining and should help the government as PSDP expenditure has already reduced.

The federal minister also directed these centers to start the certification process immediately, while the federal minister also directed to establish a knowledge management system so that all these centers have a coordinated communication.

Prof. Iqbal hoped that the Centers of Excellence will play an important role in taking the country towards development by creating platforms like Google and Facebook. He further said that centers of excellence will play a key role in preparing the country for the digital revolution.

The federal minister directed the stakeholders to approach the Central Asian and Gulf states so that Pakistan can achieve its goals in these countries. The minister added that despite limited resources, the government is providing financial and administrative support to these centers. It was also decided in the meeting that a separate briefing will be held with National Center Cloud Computing and Power Division regarding power issues.

For more information, contact:
Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives
“P” Block, Pakistan Secretariat, Islamabad, Pakistan
Tel: +92-51-9209442
Fax: +92-51-9201777
Email: webmanager@pc.gov.pk
Website: https://www.pc.gov.pk/