DICE Foundation is a non-profit organization, registered in Michigan, USA. The term DICE stands for Distinguished Innovations, Collaboration and Entrepreneurship. The main objective of DICE Foundation is to foster innovation culture in the Society. NUST School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (SMME) and DICE Foundation jointly launched DICE Automotive event which will be held annually in SMME at NUST Main Campus, H-12, Islamabad, Pakistan.
DICE Automotive is an Exhibition, Symposium and Competition that aimed to bring together the academia and Industry. Its primary objective was to act as a pragmatic and focused platform for automotive related innovations and for collaboration among academia, industry, government, entrepreneurs and expatriate community on all matters pertaining to the growth of automotive sector in Pakistan. The event also focused on mobilizing expatriate community to take advantage of their expertise and experiences for the benefit of auto industry in Pakistan; and also to act as a Think Tank to recommend automotive related strategies.
Participation in the event was open to all industry and research organization with their products / projects and innovations. Student teams working on any Automotive related research/Innovations, from any HEC recognized degree awarding university/institute were also encouraged to participate by showcasing their projects. To encourage participation the cash prizes of Rs 100,000/, Rs 60,000/ and Rs 40,000/ were offered to competitors.
DICE Automotive 2014 formally started with the recitation from the Holy Quran and was followed by a welcome address by the Principal SMME, Dr. Abdul Ghafoor who highlighted the importance of technological advancement and industrial growth in today’s day and age.
The event continued its course with interesting talks by the Chairman of DICE Foundation Dr Khurshid Qureshi and the Chief Guest Mr Zibber Mohiuddin – CEO of Panasian Group. The inauguration was followed by the evaluation of all 34 projects that were all innovative and ground-breaking. Moreover, many industries like SPEL, Infinity Engineering, Trojan Pakistan, Zic Oil, International Polymer Industry, Renewable Star set up their stalls along with Pakistan Association of Automotive Parts & Accessories Manufacturers (PAAPAM). The event had a vast turn out with students from all over NUST attending in large numbers and taking an enthusiastic interest in the various projects being presented. Said students then actively participated in the panel discussion that focused on universities involvement in the development of our auto Industry.
After a short break, the results were announced and the prizes were distributed to the most deserving projects, though the judges disclosed that the decision was indeed a tough one. The chief guest for the closing ceremony Mr Imtiaz Rastgar – CEO of Rastgar Engineering Company, expressed his views in the expansion of the automotive industry in Pakistan which was followed by a closing address by Rector NUST, Engr. Mohammad Asghar who congratulated Principal SMME, Vice Principal SMME – Engr Mohammad Sohail and Chief Organizer – Dr Shahid Ikramullah for their efforts thus bringing this event to an end.
DICE Automotive 2014 was an endeavor that truly explored how devastating a progressive stock-still can be for Pakistan and will act as a pioneering step for similar events in the future.
