Dawood University of Engineering & Technology (DUET) is aiming to transform into a Center of Excellence with a difference. Ever since the elevation into a University in February 2013 and my appointment as the first Vice Chancellor in March 2013 the tone has been to focus on people and processes.
While development of Physical infrastructure is the need of the hour it is understood that it will take years and substantial financial resources to develop a state of the art campus. The good news is that the Government of Sindh has earmarked Rs. 500m in the Annual Development Program to develop the DUET campus. The beginning has been made and the Project PC-I is at an advanced stage of completion. Efforts are underway to acquire 50 acres of land in the new Education City being developed in the outskirts of Karachi.
Meanwhile we are committing ourselves in three major areas that will transform us in a shorter gestation into a vibrant center of Innovation, Research and Learning. We aim to develop a Center for Innovation, Research, Creativity, Learning and Entrepreneurship (CIRCLE). The Center shall support the university’s strategic research directions and policies. It shall improve recruitment and retention of top faculty, help in translation of research into the public benefit and strengthen university-industry relationships. The underlying concept is promotion of entrepreneurship, technology-transfer and commercialization activities that energize and support the local and national economy.
We are striving to train our students with cutting-edge research and the processes of discovery, knowledge generation and knowledge exchange working with employers, professional bodies, alumni and other stakeholders to ensure our engineering programs are responsive to the need of producing graduates with socially and economically valuable attributes and expertise
We are also planning to enter into MOUs with the Industry and other top institutes to open up DUET to Industry and Society and bring relevance in our academics and research to the needs of Pakistan. Associated with CIRCLE shall be the Directorate of Industrial Liaison and Alumni Affairs (DILA) and Center for Continuous Professional Development (CCPD).
We believe, alumni relations is an important part of Dawood’s advancement activities as Alumni are Dawood’s most loyal supporters. Also our alumni are our national and international ambassadors. They take their knowledge of Dawood to their hometowns and countries and into their professional and social networks. It is with this objective that DUET is instituting a Division of Alumni Affairs. We will soon be launching Dawood Alumni Online which will help you to stay in touch with your University, wherever you are in the world.
A strong university system attracts talent, but it also nurtures the talents of its students. We believe that every student has the requisite potential and our aim is to see that this potential is realized and fulfilled. There can be no substitute for hard work and determination. University is clear in its aspiration for undergraduates to be educated up to and beyond the frontiers of knowledge.
It is our desire to make DUET a rapidly changing and fast growing Institute of Research and Learning of Pakistan.
Dr. Faizullah Abbasi
B.Engg (Mechanical) Sindh
MSc (Production Engineering) Strathclyde
PhD (Metallurgy) Sheffield City