Pakistan, Google Sign MoU to Accelerate AI Digitalisation
August 25, 2026
Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology (GIKI) and Indigenous Research and Development Agency (IRADA) have signed an MoU to strengthen Pakistan’s indigenous technology ecosystem through joint research, innovation, commercialization, skills development, and collaboration in fields including semiconductors, AI, robotics, cybersecurity, IoT, energy systems, and advanced manufacturing.
Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology (GIKI) and the Indigenous Research and Development Agency (IRADA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening Pakistan’s capacity for indigenous research, technology development, innovation, commercialization, and human-resource development.
According to Business Recorder and Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), the agreement brings together GIKI’s academic and engineering capabilities with IRADA’s mandate to promote indigenous research and technology commercialization. APP reported that the two organisations signed the agreement on Thursday, with the partnership focused on “indigenous research, innovation and technology development in Pakistan.”
The collaboration covers a broad range of strategic technology areas, including chip design and verification, artificial intelligence, robotics, cybersecurity, Internet of Things (IoT), energy systems, and advanced manufacturing. The partners will pursue joint research and development projects intended to translate academic expertise into practical technologies and commercially relevant solutions.
IRADA Managing Director Umar Rashid highlighted the importance of closer cooperation between national research institutions and universities. Business Recorder reported that he stressed that Pakistan “could not achieve technological independence by working in isolation,” while emphasising the development of indigenous digital technologies and locally manufactured microcontroller-based devices.
GIKI Rector Professor Dr Fazal Ahmad Khalid welcomed the partnership and said the MoU would create an important platform for connecting GIKI’s engineering and academic expertise with Pakistan’s national technology priorities. He also reaffirmed the institute’s commitment to practical research that can strengthen technological self-reliance and industrial growth.
The agreement goes beyond research alone. It includes technology commercialization and transfer, training programmes, internships, student research, shared research facilities, and joint initiatives related to innovation and policy. APP similarly reported that the partnership is intended to facilitate commercialization and transfer of technology while providing opportunities for training, internships and access to shared research facilities
The partnership is particularly significant for Pakistan’s semiconductor ambitions. Chip design and verification are among the priority areas identified under the agreement, while GIKI has already been involved in national semiconductor human-resource development initiatives. GIKI’s official LinkedIn presence also described the new collaboration as a step toward “strengthening academia–industry–government linkages” and translating research and engineering capabilities into “indigenous technologies and commercially relevant solutions.”
The collaboration also reflects IRADA’s wider role in bridging academia, industry and policy. The agency describes itself as a public-sector organisation focused on commercialising research and development outcomes, promoting indigenous technologies, reducing import reliance and supporting technological self-sufficiency.
For GIKI, the partnership reinforces its position as a research and engineering institution working on emerging technologies and national innovation priorities. Its official website highlights programmes spanning computer science, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, computer engineering, electrical engineering, materials engineering and related fields.
The two organisations’ agreement therefore creates a framework through which researchers, students, engineers and industry stakeholders can work more closely on technology development. Business Recorder described the partnership as carrying a “powerful message for Pakistan’s future,” arguing that the country’s greatest technological asset is “its own talent.”
The ultimate objective is to help Pakistan move beyond dependence on imported technologies and build stronger domestic capabilities. As APP reported, the initiative seeks to accelerate the country’s transition “from a technology consumer to a technology developer.”
