Power Division launches over Rs1bn innovation programme for youth, startups

ISLAMABAD: The Power Division on Thursday launched Pakistan’s first National Power Sector Innovation Programme, with more than Rs1 billion allocated over the next three years to support innovative ideas, research and technology-driven solutions in the country’s energy sector.

The programme aims to engage young people, researchers, universities, startups, industry and power-sector experts in developing practical solutions to some of Pakistan’s longstanding energy challenges.

Under the initiative, a dedicated digital platform called the “Innovation Hub” will serve as a central space where students, researchers, startups and young professionals can submit ideas and proposals aimed at improving the power sector.

The Power Division said more than Rs1 billion would be allocated over the next three years to support successful projects selected through the programme.

Each successful young participant will also be eligible to receive up to Rs500,000 in compensation, according to the initiative’s framework.

Federal Minister for Power Division Awais Leghari said that Pakistan’s power sector needed not only greater effort but also “more creative thinking” to address its challenges.

He described the National Power Sector Innovation Programme as more than a competition, saying it was being developed as a sustained national institutional mechanism for promoting innovation and research in the energy sector.

Leghari said that the programme would provide mentorship and practical support to young innovators and help transform promising research and ideas into viable projects.

He said that the Innovation Hub would allow aspiring students, researchers, startups and young professionals to submit innovative ideas and proposals directly through the digital platform.

The initiative is aimed at creating a structured mechanism through which innovative concepts can move beyond the research stage and towards practical implementation in Pakistan’s power sector.

According to the Power Division, the programme will focus on encouraging local technological solutions, applied research and innovation, while creating opportunities to harness the skills and expertise of young Pakistanis.

The initiative will also bring together academia, industry and power-sector specialists, potentially allowing researchers and innovators to work more closely with institutions facing operational and technical challenges.

The Power Division said the programme would help identify and develop solutions tailored to Pakistan’s own energy needs instead of relying solely on imported technologies or conventional approaches.

By allocating funding over a three-year period, the government aims to provide successful innovators with the resources and institutional support needed to develop their proposals into workable solutions.

The launch comes as Pakistan continues to grapple with challenges across the power sector, including the need to improve efficiency, reduce system losses, strengthen reliability and develop more sustainable and cost-effective energy solutions.

The National Power Sector Innovation Programme is intended to create a pipeline of locally developed ideas and technologies that could contribute to addressing these challenges while giving young researchers and entrepreneurs a greater role in shaping the future of Pakistan’s energy sector.