Two-day Distinguished Innovations, Collaboration & Entrepreneurship (DICE) Festival, a business plan competitions, in the field of Agriculture and Food Sciences has begun at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad on Wednesday at exhibition center. In which, as many as students from 30 universities presented their business plans at UAF Expo Center.

In the expo, 120 stalls of innovative plans were set up by the students. The event is organized by Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialization in collaboration with DICE Foundation. The event was chaired by Pro-Rector, University of Faisalabad, Dr Zahir Javed Paracha, while DICE President Saad Elahi, DICE Chairperson Dr Khurshid Qureshi, All Pakistan Textile Mills Association President Engineer Rizwan Ashraf, Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC) UAF Director Dr Zahir Ahmad Zahir were guests of honour on the occasion. Saad Elahi said universities are playing a pivotal role in the development and prosperity. He stressed upon the need the students to develop the innovative and entrepreneurial skills to fight the challenges of the modern era. He said that strong academia- industry linkages would pave the way to address the issue including food security, and poverty alleviation. Dr Zahir Javed Paracha said that sixty percent of our population is the between the age of 15 and 30. He said that if we develop the skills among youth keeping the challenges of the modern world in view, we would be able to compete with the rest of the world. He said that time has come when we have to provide the platform to the students to commercialize their innovative ideas with the help of strong academia-industry linkages. Dr Khurshid Qureshi was of the view that innovation acts lifeblood of economy and termed it as the key ingredient behind its sustainable progress and prosperity. He said DICE is a strategic initiative of DICE Foundation, USA aimed at fostering innovation and entrepreneurship culture in the country at all levels. He said that Dice provides a common platform for both academia and industry to share and collaborate on innovative concepts and products. UAF Director ORIC Zahir Ahmad Zahir called for strengthening industry-academia linkages and to promote innovative approaches. He added that the university was working on producing entrepreneurial skills in the students so that they can become the job providers rather than seekers. Rizwan Ashraf called for sharpening the entrepreneurial skills in the students. He said that the agriculture is the backbone of our country which is contributing 20 percent to the Gross Domestic Product. Dr Habib Gaba stressed upon the need to come up with out-of-the-box solutions to problems of the general public and farming community. Director Institute of Business Administration UAF Dr Mehmood A Randhawa said that all possible measures were being taken to provide the quality education and to sharpen the skills of business among the students . Vice President FCCI Tanvir Ahmad, Dr Waseem Ahmad, and other notables also spoke