Aspiring startups from across Pakistan can now submit applications for the National Expansion Plan under the auspices of the National Incubation Center (NIC), an initiative of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) and carried out by the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB).
The 13 centres in Punjab (Lahore, Gujrat, Taxila, and Rawalpindi), Balochistan (Quetta and Lasbela), Sindh (Karachi, Jamshoro, and Sukkur), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Kohat and Swat), Gilgit Baltistan (GB), and Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) are accepting applications (Muzaffarabad).
On the official website, prospective business owners can submit an application from their desired location (nep.pitb.gov.pk). A panel of judges will hear pitches from shortlisted firms as part of the induction procedure. The top 10 startups will be permitted entry to the relevant city’s core.
The National Expansion Plan has established centres in each of Pakistan’s six regions, including Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, with prominent universities serving as key stakeholders. This has resulted in the country’s largest network of technology incubation centres. The initiative is especially intended to help entrepreneurs in their early stages.
Since its inception in 2021, the project has created more than 1,200 employment and aspires to grow the entrepreneurial environment across the country. Over 7,500 applications have also been received as of this writing, and 260 businesses have graduated.
