Who We Are
Shehnaz Index (SI) is a national benchmarking and readiness initiative dedicated to strengthening the Offices of Research, Innovation & Commercialization (ORIC) across Pakistan’s universities. The initiative operates under the umbrella of the Dynamic Research Institute (DRI) and provides data-driven insights, institutional support, and national reporting to accelerate university-led innovation.
Currently managed through DRI’s institutional framework, SI brings together academic, industry and policy stakeholders to promote a culture of research excellence and commercialization across Pakistan.
To benchmark, strengthen, and accelerate the growth of ORIC departments across Pakistan’s higher education institutions through evidence-based evaluation, capacity building, and collaborative partnerships.
To make Pakistan a regional leader in university-based research, innovation and commercialization — where every university contributes to national economic growth and social impact.
Shehnaz Index operates as part of a national ecosystem that brings together institutional expertise, leadership networks, outreach platforms and capacity-building wings to support ORIC development.
DRI serves as the parent institution of the Shehnaz Index. It leads Pakistan’s national research, innovation, and commercialization agenda — providing strategic direction, governance, and institutional backing for all SI initiatives and allied platforms.
OVC connects university ORIC directors, researchers, and policymakers to share insights, challenges, and best practices. Through peer-learning and policy dialogue, OVC drives collective action for advancing Pakistan’s research and commercialization ecosystem.
At the heart of the ecosystem, SI acts as the national benchmarking and readiness platform evaluating universities on their ORIC development. It provides data-driven insights, comparative rankings, and institutional support frameworks to enhance innovation capacity.
Dynamic Studio serves as the creative and media wing of DRI and SI — producing podcasts, interviews, and documentary content that highlight Pakistan’s progress in research and innovation, giving visibility to emerging success stories nationwide.
SIRC offers structured certifications, diplomas, and capacity-building programs for ORIC staff, researchers, and university management. It equips institutions with the professional skills needed to run effective research and commercialization offices.
Together, these five pillars form a unified national framework — linking governance, leadership, benchmarking, communication, and capacity-building to strengthen Pakistan’s ORIC ecosystem.
These focus areas represent the core of our mission: helping every university build a strong, functional, and future-ready ORIC that drives national economic growth.
Shehnaz Index provides a national benchmarking framework that evaluates the maturity, performance, and compliance level of university ORICs. Through structured scoring indicators, SI highlights institutional strengths, exposes gaps, and enables cross-university comparison for improvement.
Readiness Assessment reviews a university’s research infrastructure, governance, commercialization potential, and policy alignment. It helps institutions understand their preparedness level for establishing or improving ORICs, and guides them toward national and international standards.
SI supports universities through templates, policy frameworks, ORIC establishment roadmaps, compliance guidelines, and customized consultancy. Whether a university wants to start an ORIC from scratch or upgrade an existing one, SI provides complete, practical guidance.
Under the School of Research, Innovation & Commercialization (SRIC), SI offers focused training programs, certifications, and workshops for ORIC staff, researchers, faculty, and administrators. These programs enhance professional competency in research management and commercialization.
DRI facilitates networking, MoUs, and collaborative initiatives that bring together research leaders and innovation stakeholders. The goal is to build strong ORIC–industry linkages, joint ventures, and partnerships that turn ideas into impact.
Through ORIC podcasts, media outreach, events, webinars, and leadership panels, SI increases visibility for Pakistan’s research ecosystem. Outreach activities help engage students, faculty, industry, and policymakers — creating a unified movement for research excellence.
