1 Meeting with: Lead Coordinators from NUST Schools & FICS 2015 Core Team 25 th November 2014 FINDING INNOVATIVE & CREATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR SOCIETY (FICS)

2 Introduction to FICS

Finding Innovative & Creative Solutions for Society (FICS)  Concept: encourage students to get actively involved in social problem identification, & think innovatively to devise technology- based solutions  2014 was 2nd consecutive year of FICS 3  Aim: instill a spirit of commitment amongst students, to give back to society by applying their knowledge & converting their creative ideas into value-adding solutions  3-stage competition: projects are shortlisted on the basis of relevance, impact, novelty, practicality & commercializability  2014 was 2 nd consecutive year  FICS 2014 co-organized by SEECS & CAC  Involves mentors from the Industry

4 Objectives

To encourage students to contribute to societal / community development To allow students to think creatively & develop latest applications & innovative technology based-solutions To serve as a platform for identifying ideas & technologies that can be commercialized & converted into viable products & services To engage Industry for NUST initiatives – mentorship opportunity particularly beneficial for students To foster an entrepreneurial culture within NUST & at a national level Objectives

6 FICS Stages

Stage 1 Synopsis submission Evaluation & shortlisting – SEECS internal team 77 project ideas submitted 56 shortlisted for Stage 2 Stage 2 Posters & videos / ppt Evaluation by academicians & Industry members 38 projects shortlisted for Stage 3 Few selected by Industry for mentoring Stage 3 29 finalists Prototypes presented Judges from Industry, NUST Schools & other HEIs 3 winners selected 10 projects taken up by Industry for mentoring 7 FICS Stages

8 Projects

ICT-based Electronics Telecommunication Health & Medicine (Biotechnology) Automotive Energy Projects Cutting Across Sectors

All 3 prizes sponsored by Industry (50k, 30k, 15k) Event cost sponsored by Industry (Total: Rs. 200,000) Projects in Stage 2 selected for mentorship Feedback: Industry to give project ideas before competition is launched Industry Support

11 FICS 2015

2013 & 2014: FICS was intra-SEECS Successful in inculcating interest towards Social Entrepreneurship FICS 2015 co-organized by SEECS, SMME, Corporate Advisory Council (CAC) & NUST Entrepreneurs Club (NEC) Project to be expanded to intra-NUST; scope enhanced to include all disciplines Formation of multidisciplinary project groups Broader spectrum of social / community development Enhance & enrich Industry interest & involvement Winning projects from FICS can go to DISCOVER & other business plan competitions From Intra-SEECS to Intra-NUST

Lead Coordinators Faculty members from all NUST Schools Coordinating with student teams for project ideas Guiding students through various stages of FICS Managing student project ideas submitted online NUST Entrepreneurs Club (NEC) Marketing & PR activities in all Schools Working with Lead Coordinators in their respective Schools Organization & coordination tasks Teams Formed for FICS 2015

FICS 2015 Core Team Lead Coordinators from Schools + NEC office bearers + Faculty members from SEECS & SMME + CAC team members Planning & monitoring (including managing website) Act as the hub for all coordination Act as the conduit between Industry & students FICS 2015 Team FICS 2015 Core Team + School Principals and Senior Reps from Schools Kept in the loop for high-level updates Contacted for support / help at School level Teams Formed for FICS 2015

THANK YOU