Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC) convened the 4th Faculty Industry Placement Program (FIPP) Pre-Placement Meeting, bringing together representatives from Fruit of Sustainability and the Pakistan Institute of Living & Learning (PILL) to explore potential collaborative opportunities for faculty placement, development, and industry engagement. The meeting was chaired by Prof. Dr. Muhammad Akhyar Farrukh, Director, ORIC, and attended by Dr. Faiza Anum, Research Associate, ORIC, and members of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Mr. Sarim Mehmood, CEO, Fruit of Sustainability, highlighted the importance of conducting workplace surveys, developing HR practices, and fostering social dialogue, with an emphasis on the role of trained psychologists. As part of the FIPP framework, faculty members will undergo training provided by Fruit of Sustainability to enable their participation in field surveys and workforce training initiatives. Ms. Uzma Omer, Special Advisor, PILL, introduced a paid internship program for UCP Postgraduates that offers training in mental health and community outreach, specifically focused on breast cancer support and suicide prevention.
Key topics included types of intellectual property rights, national and international patent filing procedures, commercialization strategies, and guidelines from IPO Pakistan and USPTO. Participants explored what qualifies as patentable, how to draft and structure patent applications, and how to respond to objections during the prosecution process.
The session also featured live demonstrations of online tools such as the USPTO Patent Center and the IPO Pakistan e-journal, enabling participants to track patent progress and access published applications.
By focusing on transforming academic research into tangible, commercial outcomes, the workshop encouraged faculty to pursue innovation, institutional consultancy, and long-term research impact—reinforcing ORIC-UCP’s mission to promote applied research and knowledge transfer.
