HEC approves Industry University Linkage Project
By Bushra Rafique

ISLAMABAD—Researchers have commenced work to develop a suitable Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) for Suzuki Mehran or similar vehicles.
Dr. Ejaz Muhammad of Electrical Engineering Department NUST, Rawalpindi, will collaborate with Muhammad Aamir Khan of Automotive Division, AE Desing(Pvt) Ltd. Lahore to develop the CVT concept.
The research has been made possible under Higher Education Commission's University Industry Technology Support Programme which aims to foster high level tangible cooperation between academia and industry for capitalizing on emerging international demands of products and processes in continuous manufacturing.
The CVT concept will include the schematic design of both electrical and mechanical systems. CVT is promising because of its high efficiency and ability to constantly run engine in its minimum fuel consumption range.
Although CVT is not a new concept and has been tried by various automotive companies in part, results were not too satisfactory as it demanded improved mechanical design as well as extremely complex control system.
This has only been made possible recently. The current research will consist of mechanical development of CVT and more importantly the development of a state-of-the-art control system.
This control system would be of open architecture type modular unit to ensure that same unit after reprogramming and would be able to cater to a wide variety of vehicles such as contemporary vehicles using engine management system and the basic one like auto-rickshaw.
The University Industry Technology Support Programme focuses on the industrial sectors wherein the country is already a major contributor to world trade.
Areas where there is high potential for international trade at a competitive level along with sectors that need development both for local and international consumption also fall within its purview.
The focus, sector wise, on identification of products and processes is discrete and continuous and their import and export trends are available from public domain, local and international statistical data.
HEC will provide 80 percent of the funding while the local industry will make available the remaining 20 percent.
The financial grant is awarded on competitive merit by HEC to promising industrial research projects of direct relevance to current needs of the industry to be carried out in Pakistan by scientists of public-sector universities and degree-awarding institutions in collaboration with professionals from local industry.
The purpose of these grants is to promote scientific research in applied sciences and to strengthen the indigenous capacity for industrial competition in the world market.
The research grant is provided for a maximum period of two years with a budget up to Rs. 6.0 million.