Global best practices to inform the new NED Technology Park

As one of the partners providing consultancy services for the construction of a new technology park in Karachi, Pakistan, IASP was pleased to host an online symposium sharing international best practices from IASP members, and presenting the architectural plans for the park.

The new park is being built by NED University of Engineering & Technology Karachi (NEDUET), founded in 1921, making it one of the oldest universities in Pakistan. Planned as a “born global” knowledge hub, NED Tech Park’s key goals will be preventing local brain drain of a highly educated population, and developing Pakistan's knowledge economy.

At the symposium on 4th March, over 150 attendees tuning in from around the world heard the current plans for NED Tech Park from the NEDUET team, with an institutional welcome and a high-level overview of the fundamental value of STPs from IASP CEO Ebba Lund. IASP Past President Josep Piqué also reflected on the role of innovation ecosystems and international networks to develop the knowledge economy and retain local talent in Pakistan, as well as giving a summary of the challenges and models the NED Tech Park project is working with.

IASP members Tecnopuc (Brazil), TusPark (China), Bilkent Cyberpark (Turkey) and Skolkovo Techpark (Russia) presented their innovation ecosystems, sharing insights on their governance models, international connections, services and relationships with local universities.

The importance of networks and collaboration was a key takeaway: from Tecnopuc, director Rafael Pridlackniki emphasised the Porto Alegre innovation alliance for high impact actions to foster innovation in the city, as well as their ‘connected and global’ approach to internationalisation; while IASP Vice Chairman Herbert Chen described the TusPark model of a network of innovation bases across China and worldwide. Faruk Inaltakin presented an overview of the Turkish innovation ecosystem, its development over the last 30 years, and the many internationalisation actions carried out at Bilkent to take local businesses to the global market, while Elena Sharpova explained the entrepreneurial mission of the purpose-built Skolkovo innovation city, with its 10 branches in regions across Russia, to an entrepreneurial culture based on the Skoltech research at its core.

Their best practices will directly inform the design and management of the new park as it is developed by the university, with consultancy support from IASP, La Salle Universitat Ramon Lull, La Salle Technova, EY and System of Innovation. 

You can watch the recording of the full symposium below.