​Happenings at ORIC

Discover what is happening at the Office of Research, Innovatio​n and Commercialisation (ORIC) and Technology Innovation Support Centre (TISC)​!

​​May 23rd, 2023

Grants Administration Training | Building Capacity and Increasing Efficiency in the Grants Administration Processes​

​ORIC organized a comprehensive training session on the PeopleSoft Checklist to enhance capacity and streamline grant administration processes. This session was attended by grant administrators and key stakeholders from various entities across AKU, including the Institute of Educational Development, Institute of Global Health and Development, Centre for Regenerative Medicine, School of Nursing and Midwifery PK, Digital Health Resource Centre, Brain & Mind Institute, and seven departments from Medical College PK. The session aimed to equip attendees with the necessary knowledge and skills to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in grant administration.

​December 13th, 2022

​AKU welcomed academic researchers and industry professionals from across Karachi for an awareness seminar by the Higher Education Commission, Pakistan. The seminar shed light on HEC’s Technology Development Fund (TDF), a unique funding opportunity which aims to promote ground-breaking innovations by fostering multidisciplinary linkages. With the help of a government-industry-academia triple helix developed by the TDF, research outputs may be translated into impactful and commercially viable solutions, advancing the efforts in health, education, and societal wellbeing.​​

​September 3rd - 4th, 2022​

Craniotomy Trainings for Medical Students Using 3D-Printed Models of Skulls | Karachi, Pakistan

In collaboration with the Pakistan Society of Neuro-Oncology (PASNO), the Aga Khan University’s Department of Surgery and TISC organized two mixed-fidelity workshops on brain tumor surgery. The workshops primarily focused on the use of 3D printed models of skulls to build capacity of medical students, covering craniotomy training on 3D-printed skulls; microsurgical skull and brain dissection and tumor resection practice on animal models; training of microscope used in brain tumor surgeries; and brain tumor imaging and surgical planning. AKU’s 3D Printing Lab was leveraged in the printing of the 3D skulls used in the training. Led by Dr. Athar Enam, Professor and Chair, Department of Surgery and his team, the workshops are a result of a partnership among the Aga Khan University, PASNO, the Pakistan Society of Basic & Applied Neuroscience, Pakistan Academy of Neurological Surgery, the Brain and Mind Institute, and the Brain Tumor Foundation of Pakistan.​

May 24th, 2022

​Intellectual Property and Rights Workshop | Why to Patent? | Technology Innovation Support Centre (TISC)​ | Day 1 ​

​AKU TISC hosted three awareness raising sessions on Intellectual Property (IP) over the course of two days in May 2022. Guest speakers included an international visitor, Dr Usman Khan, Patent Attorney from Fish and Richardson, Washington, D.C. and another guest from the Government of Pakistan, Ms. Saima Kanwal, Assistant Controller of Patents at the Intellectual Property Office of Pakistan. The sessions included two lectures, “Why to Patent" and “Understanding the rights and trends of IP within and outside Pakistan" and a workshop comprising of one-on-one consultations to help incubate innovative ideas. TISC plans to conduct similar sessions to raise awareness among researchers, engineers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and AKU staff and faculty. ​

​May 25th, 2022

IP Rights & Trends Within and Outside Pakistan | Technology Innovation Support Centre (TISC)​ | Day 2​​