UNIVERSITY-INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIP FOR DEVELOPMENT OF KNOWLEDGE

Advancement of knowledge, innovations in the field of technology and race of the best have changed the role of higher education. Currently, higher education does not mean a degree but skill and knowledge of how to useskill for the advancement. In the 21 st century, the function of higher education is to produce such skilled personnel who must be able to utilize his/her knowledge in the real situation. National educational policy (2009) states, changing innovation processes and the evaluation of the relative contribution made by the private and public sectors have emphasized the need for strong industry-university linkage, allowing both sectors to interact and collaborate on joint project. In Pakistan, Higher Education Commission (HEC) and educational policies acknowledge that industry-university cooperation is the need of the time. Even now, higher education degrees are completed without research in industry. For development, it is necessary that research in higher education must be linked with local industry and need of time is to establish research centers which must be responsible for assisting research and provide linkage between higher education and industry. The present study explores the opinion of academicians about the university-industry cooperation. In this study, the words cooperation, partnership and relation are used as synonyms. A questionnaire was developed for knowing their opinion about university-industry cooperation. It is found that in Pakistan, university-industry cooperation is weak while university-industry cooperation is necessary for the development of knowledge.