Seventy-Nine Years On: What Does Digital Sovereignty Mean for Pakistan?
August 14, 2026
Pakistan launches Rs1bn, three-year innovation programme and digital Innovation Hub to fund and fast-track youth-led power-sector research and prototypes.
The Power Division on Thursday launched Pakistan’s first National Power Sector Innovation Programme, allocating more than Rs1 billion over three years to back research, technology and innovative solutions across the energy sector. Officials said the programme aims to turn academic research and startup ideas into practical interventions that improve electricity supply and grid resilience.
The programme will operate an Innovation Hub, a digital platform intended to connect students, researchers, universities, startups, industry and sector experts to jointly develop solutions to pressing power challenges. The hub will accept idea submissions and research proposals while enabling mentorship, technical support and collaboration among stakeholders.
Under the initiative, individual young innovators can receive up to Rs500,000 to further develop prototypes or pilot projects, while leading research efforts will be funded to help convert findings into workable tools for the power system. Programme documents indicate funding and in-kind support will be awarded on a competitive basis, prioritizing scalability and measurable impact.
Federal Minister for Energy (Power Division) Sardar Awais Khan Leghari described the initiative as a durable mechanism for sector innovation rather than a one-off contest, saying it will institutionalize support for fresh ideas and continuous problem-solving.[Quote source] He urged universities and industry partners to engage actively so that promising research reaches commercial application.
Leghari emphasized the need for “greater innovation and creative thinking” across the power sector and said young innovators would receive mentorship, guidance and practical support to translate ideas into real-world solutions. He called the hub a bridge between academic research and industry implementation.
The Power Division said the programme’s success will be measured by the number of pilots launched, technologies adopted by utilities, and demonstrable improvements in efficiency and reliability. Officials also noted plans to publish progress reports and invite private sector co-investment to scale successful pilots into wider deployment.
Stakeholders welcomed the move but cautioned that long-term impact will depend on timely disbursement of funds, transparent selection processes and strong links between researchers and utilities. The Innovation Hub is set to begin accepting proposals in the coming weeks, with further details to be released on the Power Division’s official channels.
