LAHORE: (Thursday, February 29, 2024): Punjab University Office of Research Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC) organized closing ceremony of two-day 9th ‘Invention to Innovation Summit’ at Al Raazi Hall. On this occasion, PU VC Prof Dr Khalid Mahmood, Rector University of Lahore Prof Dr Muhammad Ashraf, Director ORIC Prof Dr Shakil Ahmed, researchers, experts from industries, faculty members and a large number of students were present. In his address, Dr Khalid Mahmood underscored the significance of such initiatives within a university setting and highlighted their potential benefits for students, researchers and industrialists. He emphasized the importance of ensuring that all stakeholders benefit from the knowledge and outcomes generated from the Summit. He expressed his deep appreciation for the dedication and hard work of the Director ORIC and his team for successfully organizing the Summit. Dr Muhammad Ashraf expressed his appreciation for the inauguration of the Summit 2024 and emphasized the significance of fostering strong academia-industry linkages. Dr Shakil Ahmed thanked the participant and acknowledged the support of his team. He said that in the summit featuring 56 selected ideas for stalls including 40 percent from industry, 40 oral presentations, 79 poster presentations and 4 engaging interactive sessions. He said that the event has effectively fulfilled its purpose of bridging the gap between academia and industry, playing a crucial role in advancing research to meet the current national requirements and demands. The summit offered a valuable platform to showcase and promote research and innovation activities through the sharing of innovative ideas, knowledge, experiences, and achievements by different actors, he added. He said that this initiative mirrors the VC's vision of steering the university towards embracing indigenous ideas to address the country's financial and technical challenges through enhanced knowledge. Later, shields and certificates were presented to the winners and runners-up of the best ideas for poster and oral presentations, as well as stalls in the exhibition. Shields and awards were also distributed to the Summit organizers, while certificates were handed out to the participants of the oral and poster presentations.