‘NTU is making efforts to commercialise research, enhance exports’

National Textile University (NTU) Rector Prof Dr Rashid Masood highlighted the university's efforts to commercialize modern research and enhance Pakistan's exports during a meeting with Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) President Arif Ehsan Malik. Masood emphasized value addition, noting that industries should approach NTU for solutions to technical and production-related problems.

He discussed the investment in a Technical Textile Centre in Korea, a USD 3 million non-woven textile machine upgrade, and advanced facilities for textile sample testing, all of which would be made available to industry within the next few months. The university also offers short courses through its Skill Development School to address the growing demand for skilled manpower in the textile industry.

NTU can provide technical support for the local production of bio-based and synthetic fibers, and student research contains innovative ideas and inventions with potential for commercialization. FCCI President Arif Ehsan Malik welcomed the NTU rector, expressing interest in transforming Faisalabad into Pakistan's first textile circular city and promoting the technical textile sector.

Around 60 to 70 units were already operating in Satiana, with a focus on achieving zero industrial waste to meet European Union compliance requirements. Ehsan Malik proposed a 10-year roadmap for the promotion of technical textiles, calling for a conducive environment for establishing technical textile-related clusters. FCCI Senior Vice President Mian Muhammad Saeed emphasized the need to remove obstacles hindering the development of technical textiles and provide loans to the SME sector for establishing such units.