The Aga Khan University's Critical Creative Innovative Thinking (CCIT) Forum was represented at the esteemed World Incubation Summit held in Ghent, Belgium in May 2023. The global event brought together over 180 incubators from more than 40 countries, providing a dynamic platform for thought leaders to discuss innovation in the startup ecosystem for socio-economic growth.
During the summit, Dr Mahreen Sulaiman, Co-Director, CCIT, actively engaged in enriching discussions with fellow attendees, focusing on crucial topics related to entrepreneurship and innovation. Thanks to the support and resources provided by CCIT, Dr Mahreen was able to showcase AKU's notable projects that foster entrepreneurship, including the National Health Incubator (NHI).
The NHI, a collaborative effort between AKU and Accelerate Prosperity, stands as Pakistan's first programme dedicated to nurturing healthcare and health tech businesses. By sharing these initiatives, Dr Mahreen effectively conveyed AKU's commitment to fostering innovation and addressing pertinent challenges within the healthcare sector. Her participation at the summit not only allowed her to exchange ideas with international thought leaders, but also solidified AKU's position as a prominent institution driving entrepreneurship and innovation in the startup ecosystem.
By engaging with fellow incubators, researchers, and industry experts, Dr Mahreen explored avenues for cooperation, knowledge sharing, and resource exchange between AKU and their respective organizations. The dynamic atmosphere of the summit also provided the University with an opportunity to foster future partnerships and collaborations with the attendees.
CCIT was established in December 2013 to nurture a culture of innovation through creativity, critical thinking, and entrepreneurship at the Aga Khan University and beyond. From a student-centric society, the Forum has evolved into a sector-agnostic hub for pre-ideation, ideation, and early-stage incubation, engaging organizations and individuals from across the country for innovation in healthcare and beyond.
In January 2020, CCIT launched a unique Innovation Fellowship to train young professionals in the specs of creative innovation and entrepreneurship for healthcare and biomedicine in low resource settings. With the upcoming Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the need for a community-based innovation ecosystem, the fellowship morphed into the Global Innovation Fellowship. The experience of setting up such a unique hub has been summarized in AKU's first-ever digital book “MEDJACK: The Extraordinary Journey of an Ordinary Hack".