LAHORE: (Thursday, June 15, 2023): Chairman Punjab Higher Education Commission Prof Dr Shahid Munir has said polymers, textiles and allied materials are backbone of our country and there is a need to strengthen these sectors to uplift national economy. He was addressing the 1st national joint universities conference on ‘Sustainable Indigenous Production & Upcycling of Polymers / Allied Materials (SIP-UP): Future Challenges’ jointly organized by Punjab University Institute of Polymer & Textile Engineering, Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute, Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology and University of Engineering and Technology Lahore at Al Raazi Hall here on Thursday. On this occasion, PU VC Prof Khalid Mahmood, Rector GIK Institute Prof Dr Fazal Ahmad Khalid, Director Institute of Polymer and Textile Engineering Prof Dr Shahzad Maqsood Khan, VC’s from various universities, researchers, faculty members and students were present.

In his address, Dr Shahid Munir said that polymers are the most progressive materials and in many areas replacing different materials with polymers. He said that textile industry is the largest manufacturing sector in Pakistan, accounting for a significant share of the country's GDP. He said that it contributes around 8.5% to the total GDP and employs millions of people. He lauded the effort of PU Institute of Polymer and Textile Engineering for hosting and organizing the collaborative conference with the chosen theme for this conference is of utmost importance in today's rapidly evolving world. Dr Khalid Mahmood said that holding a joint conference of various universities will be a pleasure and it will promote our local industry. He said that universities’ researchers and industry experts should work together for sustainable development. He said that the universities have to expand their scope of research according to the industry so that they can directly serve the public. He said that the future of Pakistan depends on the research done in the universities. He said that the products made of polymer are causing environmental damages due to several reasons, for which development of environment-friendly polymer technology is necessary. He said that all departments should cooperate with each other to assess the effects of climate change and to eradicate such problems.

Khawaja Farid University of Engineering and Technology Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Suleman Tahir while speaking online said that to meet the challenges of the future, an integrated policy on sustainable environment-friendly, less toxic and recycled polymer materials and awareness is important. Dr Fazal Ahmad Khalid said that the role of polymer is very important for various products and in many places the polymer is being replaced by steel. He said that the world is rapidly moving from physical to digital for which we also have to work together in the fields of science, engineering and technology. Director Institute of Polymer and Textile Engineering Prof Dr Shahzad Maqsood Khan said that 60 poster presentations were presented by researchers and scholars from various universities across Pakistan, while 12 experts benefited the participants with their research work and experiences. He said that it is a matter of pride to organize the conference at PU in collaboration with Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute, Khawaja Farid University of Engineering and Information Technology and University of Engineering and Technology Lahore and with the support of Pakistan Academy of Science. On this occasion, CEOs, group heads and management officials of various industries took part in the panel discussion and termed the conference as a platform for mutual cooperation between industry and academia.