Organization of Islamic Cooperation's Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH) organized an international workshop and exhibition on "research commercialization" in Islamabad on Tuesday.

Addressing the workshop, the Coordinator General COMSTECH Professor Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary said that the theme of this workshop is understanding the opportunities as well as the challenges that are present for the commercialization of research, which is of great significance for all our member states.

He said academic research has begun to take off in most OIC member states as evidenced by the rapid growth in science publications but converting the academic research into new products is a common problem.

He  said that the lack of clear road map, sustained state support, institutional framework, entrepreneurial thinking in faculty, infrastructure, interest of industrial sector and investors, and innovation rejecting mindset of the academic leadership are the major challenges being faced by the science commercialization.

Chairman of Atri Advisory from Malaysia, Prof. Zakri Abdul Hamid; the Vice President at TENMAK, the Energy, Nuclear and Mining Research Agency Prof. Dr. Orkun Hasekioglu; the Director of Discovery and Development Center at Istanbul Medipol University Prof. Dr. Mustafa Guzel also participated in the workshop.