Business Incubation Centre AWKUM Hosts Business Idea Competition to Foster Student Innovation

 

The Business Incubation Centre (BIC) at Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan (AWKUM) successfully organized a Business Idea Competition on June 30, 2025, at the Garden Campus in collaboration with District Youth Office Mardan. The event showcased over 17 innovative business and commercial projects developed by student teams, each highlighting the practical utility and market potential of their ideas.

The competition aimed to promote entrepreneurial thinking among students and encourage them to channel their creativity and problem-solving skills toward national development. According to the organizers, the initiative is part of BIC’s broader mission to nurture a startup culture within the university.

A panel of industry and academic experts evaluated the projects based on innovation, feasibility, and commercial viability. The jury included:

·       Dr. Ihtisham Khan – Director BIC

·       Dr. Nadeem Iqbal – Chairman, Department of Computer Science

·       Dr. Hasham Ali – Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science

·       Dr. Syed Mohsin Ali – Chairman, Department of Marketing & Entrepreneurship

·       Mr. Asghar Khan Utman Khel – Industry Representative

·       Mr. Anwar ul Haq – AWKUM Startup Alumni

Prof. Dr. Zahir Shah, Pro-Vice Chancellor AWKUM, graced the occasion as Chief Guest. He awarded cash prizes to the top three business ideas and presented shields to the members of the judges’ panel in recognition of their contributions. Dr. Zahir Shah also appreciated the dedicated efforts of Dr. Ihtisham Khan (Director BIC) and Dr. Shah Hussain Awan (Coordinator BIC) for organizing a highly impactful and successful event. Additionally, he acknowledged and thanked the District Youth Office Mardan for its continued support of student activities at AWKUM.

The winners of the competition were:

·       1st Position: Mr. Alyan Khan – Mortal Yumbite (Department of Computer Science)

·       2nd Position: Mr. Saad – Tiffin Treats (Department of Statistics)

·       3rd Position: Mr. Ahmad Yousaf – Wardo (Department of Computer Science)

The event was attended by notable university figures including Dr. Tariq Mehmood, Director ORIC, along with faculty members Dr. Mohammad Jehangir and Dr. Yusuf Amin. The Business Idea Competition reflects AWKUM’s continued commitment to cultivating innovation, entrepreneurship, and industry-academia collaboration.

QEC-AWKUM Organizes Workshop on HEC Plagiarism Policy and Turnitin Software

The Quality Enhancement Cell (QEC) of Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan (AWKUM) successfully organized a workshop on the HEC Plagiarism Policy and Turnitin Software for MS/MPhil and PhD scholars on June 30, 2025, at the Central Library, Garden Campus, Mardan.

The workshop was attended by postgraduate scholars nominated by the Chairpersons of various academic departments. The session aimed to enhance awareness and understanding of HEC Plagiarism Policy and the effective use of Turnitin software for maintaining academic integrity in research.

Dr. Shah Hussain Awan, Deputy Director QEC-AWKUM, served as the resource person for the workshop, with valuable support from his team member, Mr. Saddam Hussain. The resource person delivered a comprehensive presentation on the HEC Plagiarism Policy, engaging the participants in an interactive discussion and addressing their queries regarding policy and research.

In response to scholars’ interest and requests, it was decided that such workshops will be conducted on a quarterly basis to continuously equip postgraduate researchers with essential policies and digital tools necessary for quality research output.