Lahore: The 28th Steering Committee Meeting of the Office of Research, Innovation, and Commercialization (ORIC) at the University of Central Punjab (UCP) was convened under the chairmanship of Pro-Rector, Dr. Hammad Naveed. The meeting gathered a diverse group of academic and industry leaders to discuss strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing the university's research and innovation capabilities.

According to University of Central Punjab, participants included notable figures such as Prof. Dr. Hafiza Rizwana Kausar, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology, and representatives from prominent organizations like Augment HQ LLC, SRC Pvt. Ltd., Genetics Pharma, Healthwire, Vital Management Services, Fruits of Sustainability, Foresight & Partners, Decathlon, Dafi Labs, and ML Bench. Director ORIC, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Akhyar Farrukh, presented an overview of ORIC's recent progress in areas such as research funding, publications, internal grants, NRPU proposals, intellectual property registrations, faculty industry placements, product development, and industry collaborations.

The committee engaged in a thorough review of ongoing and future initiatives in research funding, faculty development, commercialization, industry partnerships, and academic conferences. Discussions also focused on identifying opportunities to further strengthen UCP's research and innovation ecosystem, with a strategic plan laid out for the months of September and October 2026.