By Adnan Rafique
ISLAMABAD: In a landmark development, the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) has been awarded the Special Technology Zone (STZ) status, further reinforcing its role as one of the key drivers of Pakistan’s knowledge economy.
The National Science and Technology Park (NSTP), a flagship project of NUST, will be the primary beneficiary of this status, marking a significant milestone in the university’s mission to advance innovation and technological advancement. NSTP not only capitalizes on the university’s core strengths and competencies but also avails robust support from the Government of Pakistan. Since its inception in 2019, NSTP has achieved remarkable milestones, including generating over PKR 20 billion in revenue, creating more than 6,000 high-tech jobs, and securing over PKR 10 billion in funds raised by its resident firms. This success highlights NSTP’s pivotal role in promoting a dynamic ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship in Pakistan.
The STZ status has been conferred on two distinct land parcels within the NUST campus. The first parcel, covering approximately eight acres, will house the NSTP Towers, which will accommodate startups, SMEs, and anchor tenants focused on AI, Chip Design, and other emerging verticals.
This strategic development is set to create a thriving ecosystem for AI innovation, enabling Pakistan to make significant strides especially in the field of Artificial intelligence. The second parcel of land, also within the STZ, will be home to N-ovative Health Technologies (NHTPL), which spans approximately five acres.
NHTPL is already at the forefront of manufacturing cutting-edge medical devices and implants, including Bare Metal Stents (BMS), Drug-Eluting Stents (DES), and Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA) balloon catheters.
With the STZ status, this health cluster will expand to host enterprises focused on health tech, medical devices, biosciences, and pharmaceutics, positioning itself as the largest health technology cluster in the country.
The conferment of STZ status over 13 acres (STZ, Zone-B) of NUST land, combined with the existing Special Economic Zone (SEZ, Zone-A) status (58.3 acres), represents the most focused infrastructure expansion in Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) in Pakistan.
This development will not only transform NUST into a hub for cutting-edge research and industry collaboration but will also significantly boost the national knowledge economy, driving Pakistan towards a future of sustained technological growth and innovation.
