Forman Christian College University and the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Lahore under the Global Horizon Initiative to strengthen collaboration between industry, academia and government. The agreement was formalised when Dr. Jonathan S. Addleton, Rector FCCU, and Ms. Rafia Syed, Director General TDAP Punjab & Services Division, signed the MoU. Present at the signing were Dr. Douglas E. Trimble, Vice Rector; Dr. Raza Hashim, Dean of Business and Management; Dr. Syed Shoaib Nazir, Chairperson of the School of Management; Ms. Hina Gul, Director Trade, TDAP; and Ms. Urwa Hassan, Deputy Director, TDAP.
Under the pact, the TDAP FCCU collaboration will prioritise entrepreneurship, research-driven policy development and trade capacity building with a particular focus on supporting IT and ITeS businesses. TDAP’s export-ready accelerator is expected to provide targeted support to tech firms associated with FCCU and to nurture export-oriented startups emerging from the university’s programmes.
The partnership will promote trade awareness among students and local enterprises while enhancing entrepreneurship and export readiness across the region. By strengthening academic–industry linkages, FCCU will contribute applied research and talent pipelines while TDAP will offer market-facing capacity building and trade facilitation, reinforcing TDAP’s role as a catalyst for export growth.
Stakeholders in Lahore’s education and business communities will watch how the TDAP FCCU MoU under the Global Horizon Initiative translates into concrete training, research and export opportunities for Pakistani IT services and other export sectors. Officials described the agreement as a practical step toward aligning higher education with national trade objectives.
