Information Technology University

The Information Technology University (ITU) (Urdu: دانش گاہَ اطلاعی تیکنالوجی‎) is a public university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Founded in 2012, the university was founded and headed by Umar Saif and is modeled after the MIT.[4][5][6][7]

Information Technology University
دانش گاہَ اطلاعی تیکنالوجی
MottoInnovation
TypePublic
Established2012 (2012)
Endowment$10 million[1]
Vice-ChancellorDr. Sarfraz Khurshid [2]
Students1500[3]
Location
Lahore
,
Punjab
,
Pakistan
CampusUrban
AffiliationsHigher Education Commission (Pakistan), Pakistan Engineering Council, National Computing Education Accreditation Council
Websiteitu.edu.pk

The university is located within the high-rise Arfa Software Technology Park, while its permanent 183 acre campus is under construction on Barki Road and that campus will never get completed in eastern Lahore.[8][9][10] The university has varying degrees of partnerships with the Harvard University[11] and also publishes the MIT Technology Review, Pakistan edition.[12] The university is home to several tenured academics, Pakistan's largest startup incubator and maintains partnerships with EdX, IBM and the US State Department.[13][14][15] It hosted International Development Design Summit, organised by IDIN and United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

History

Foundation and Vision

ITU was established in 2012 in order to advance scholarship and innovation in the areas of science, technology and engineering. ITU aspires to emulate the success of Massachusetts Institute of Technology through focus on cross-disciplinary applied research, the cultivation of an entrepreneurial culture in teaching and research, the maintenance of a close collaboration with the Information and Communication Technology industry and the development of strong ties with government funding agencies. With a structure that combines the best features of both public and private sector universities, ITU aims to serve as a center for excellence in academia, research, entrepreneurship and innovation.[16]

Faculty

The university was formerly led by Umar Saif (PhD from University of Cambridge) who has previously taught at the Cambridge–MIT Institute. Dr. Sarfraz Khurshid (PhD from MIT) is the current Vice Chancellor of the University.

It has two faculties:

  • Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Faculty of Business and Management Sciences
  • Faculty of Sciences
  • Faculty of Engineering

ITU offers following programs:[17][18]

  1. BS (Computer Science)
  2. BS (Electrical Engineering)
  3. BS (Computer Engineering)
  4. BS (Management and Technology)
  5. BS (Economics with Data Sciences)
  6. MS (Computer Science)
  7. MS (Data Science)
  8. MS (Electrical Engineering)
  9. MS (Development, Technology and Policy)[19]
  10. Executive MBA in Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship (EMBITE)
  11. PhD (Computer Science)[20]
  12. PhD (Electrical Engineering)[21]

Research

ITU is home to several research centers and labs:[22]

  • Center for Technology and Governance (CTG)
  • Technology and Research in Emerging Networks and Distributed Systems (TRENDS)
  • Neighborhood for Emerging World Technologies (NEWT)
  • Abdus Salam International Center of Mathematics
  • Center For Speech and Language Technologies
  • National Centre For Academic Integrity
  • Bio-Inspired Simulation & Modelling of Intelligent Life
  • Embedded Computing Laboratory
  • Scientometrics Lab
  • Data Science Lab
  • Business Analytics Lab
  • Vision Processing Lab
  • Innovations for Poverty Alleviation Lab (IPAL)

Between 2013 and 2016 the university has conducted PKR 700 million (approx. US$7 million) in research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). It has received research funding from Higher Education Commission (Pakistan), Government of the Punjab, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), World Bank and Department for International Development (DfID).[23]

[24]

First Convocation

The university's first convocation was held on December 17, 2017. `The university awarded its first Honorary Doctorate Degree awarded to Dr. Adil Najam, the inaugural Dean of the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, and former Vice Chancellor of the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS).[25] 139 students of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering graduated in the first convocation.[26]

Second Convocation

Information Technology University held its second convocation on March 6, 2019 at Aiwan-i-Iqbal, Lahore. In total 181 successful graduates were awarded degrees. The successful graduates included 61 of BSCS, 56 of BSEE, 12 of EMBITE, 43 of MSCS and 9 of MSEE.

Lahore Technology Award

ITU gave Lahore Technology Award at its first convocation to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Nergis Mavalvala for her work in the gravitational theory.[27][28]

References
  1. "Shehbaz Sharif announces 50 crore for ITU". Dunya News. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  2. https://itu.edu.pk/faculty-itu/dr-sarfraz-khurshid/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. "1500 girl and boy students were studying at ITU". The News International. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  4. "A little "MIT for Pakistan" - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 2016-12-17. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  5. "Dailytimes | 5th Robotics Expo concludes at ITU". dailytimes.com.pk. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  6. "ITU launches Executive MBA in Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship". Radio Pakistan. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  7. "ITU's Research Methods workshop concludes". The Nation. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  8. "ITU has received a land grant of 182 acres on main Barki road - Information Technology University". itu.edu.pk. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  9. "Robotics Expo at Arfa Software Technology Park on Saturday | SAMAA TV". Samaa TV. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  10. "ITU meeting". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  11. "Academic collaboration: ITU partners with Harvard researcher on partition studies - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 2016-08-20. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  12. "Launching Ceremony – MIT Technology Review Pakistan - Information Technology University". itu.edu.pk. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  13. "Lincoln Corner to be set up at ITU - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 2016-04-20. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  14. "Empowering businesses: IBM partners with ITU on data science - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 2016-06-20. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  15. "ITU holds 4th Robotics Expo at Arfa Park". The Nation. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  16. https://itu.edu.pk/about/
  17. "ACADEMIC CALENDAR | Information Technology University". itu.edu.pk. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  18. "Academics | Information Technology University". itu.edu.pk. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  19. "MS Development Studies: Development, Technology and Policy | Information Technology University". itu.edu.pk. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  20. "PhD (COMPUTER SCIENCE) | Information Technology University". itu.edu.pk. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  21. "PhD (ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING) | Information Technology University". itu.edu.pk. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  22. "Research Centres | Information Technology University". itu.edu.pk. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  23. "Enabling Employment: CTG collaborates with GIZ - Information Technology University". itu.edu.pk. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  24. "The Information Technology University of the Punjab Act 2012". punjablaws.gov.pk. Retrieved 2017-02-10.
  25. Reporter, A (2017-12-18). "ITU holds its first convocation". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
  26. "139 graduate at ITU's first convocation - Daily Times". Daily Times. 2017-12-18. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
  27. "Nergis first recipient of Lahore Technology Award". The Nation. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
  28. "ITU convocation: MIT's Nergis Mavalvala given Lahore Technology Award - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 2017-12-18. Retrieved 2017-12-19.

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