ISLAMABAD: AGAHI in collaboration with Karakoram International University (KIU) will strengthen the futures discourse on challenges and opportunities pertinent to research and development in the country.
In this regard, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between AGAHI, a nonprofit organisation and Karakoram International University to establish Pakistan’s first foresight lab focusing on trends, challenges and opportunities, a press release said on Saturday.
The lab aims to check and test assumptions about Pakistan’s future among the leadership and wider society, explore perceptions, and identify future risks.
Speaking at a signing ceremony held at Karakoram International University, Vice-Chancellor of the varsity, Dr Muhammad Asif Khan said there was a need to develop foresight capacity in the research pursuits and developing a systematic understanding on the subject matter would greatly help the university to create opportunities for the next generation.
‘Foresight lab is a collaborative effort, said Foresight Lab Co-Founder, CEO and Chairman Interactive Group of Companies Dr Shahid Mahmud.
He emphasised the need to weave in the research networks to develop local knowledge for informed policymaking and to enabling policymakers to become diligent in managing the natural resource for human betterment.
In his presentation to the students and faculty, he explained how big data and artificial intelligence will be influencing the decision-making processes in the next decade.
AGAHI with its local partners Interactive Group of Companies and Eikon7 along with other leading academic institutions are creating a model that will have the ability to track expected state of the future over time at national, provincial and district levels – that will enable decision-makers to opt for the most informed policy choice.
AGAHI Founder and President Puruesh Chaudhary said that this cooperation marks the beginning of developing a contextual sense of clarity in the space of futures research and development; a perspective from Gilgit Baltistan.
AGAHI and Karakoram International University’s objectives converge under the broader aspects of this knowledge collaboration of the Pakistan Foresight Initiative.
Karakorum Centre for Cultural Studies and Heritage Director Dr Tasawar Baig stressed on the composite understanding required to have a future-focused research in the domains of arts, culture and heritage in times of tremendous geopolitical developments.
