Strong academia-industry linkages, knowledge-based economy and innovative thinking solving the problems are pivotal to boost the economy and address the problems of farming community and industry that will help make the development and prosperity.

Strong academia-industry linkages, knowledge-based economy and innovative thinking solving the problems are pivotal to boost the economy and address the problems of farming community and industry that will help make the development and prosperity. This was stated by University of Agriculture Faisalabad Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan while inaugurating the exhibition titled innovation and beyond and interactive session of UAF scientists with industry at Exhibition Center, UAF. The exhibition arranged by US Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Agriculture and Food Security was displaying more than 25 technologies developed as result of research and innovation ideas of scientists as a step towards academia-industry linkages. He directed that the researches should not be piled up in the libraries. It must help solve the problem of the society "the UAF has expedited its outreach programs to transform the knowledge into goods and services in order to benefit the society" he added. He said that there was the trust deficit in the academia and industry that could be bridged if the industry people take risk of making new business propositions by taking the academia in the loop. He called for enhanced efforts and tangible research work of the academia to lead the change process. He said that the poverty alleviation was directly linked to the agriculture sector for which we are taking the measures for the benefit of the society. Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said the average agriculture production of the country has increased manifolds since the inception of the country due to the high quality agricultural research and academia work. It can be gauged from the fact that the wheat production has gone up seven percent, rice 13 percent, sugarcane eight percent and potato 116 percent. He said that in the 1950, the total population was only 35 million which has now touched by 200 million. He said that now the poultry had emerged as the second biggest industry of the country. And we have enough food to eat due to the continuous working of researchers, academia, farming community and industry.