Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication has launched the National Artificial Intelligence Advancement Initiative to establish seven AI hubs across the country, incubate 560 startups over two years, and distribute non-dilutive seed grants to 150 founders without diluting their equity. The initiative marks a significant step toward building national infrastructure dedicated to supporting AI startups at scale.
The hubs will operate in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Muzaffarabad, and Gilgit, with each center admitting 40 startups annually across two cohorts. Every hub will be equipped with modern office infrastructure, high speed internet, collaboration spaces, mentorship facilities, and dedicated workspaces. A single operator or consortium will design, establish, and manage all seven hubs under a performance based two year contract that can be renewed for an additional year.
Startups accepted into the program will gain access to AI boot camps, accelerator programmes, mentoring networks, and thematic hackathons. The selected operator will be responsible for connecting founders with venture capital firms, incubators, accelerators, and technology companies to improve their investment readiness. Separately, the ministry will fund 150 seed grants, though the operator will design the application process, handle evaluation, and disburse funds based on clearly defined milestones and key performance indicators.
The initiative carries an explicit mandate to include women and individuals from rural communities, with the hubs concentrating on practical AI applications in healthcare, agriculture, education, fintech, public sector governance, and smart cities, sectors considered directly relevant to Pakistan’s economy. Two national hackathons and four AI awareness sessions will run over the two year period, bringing together students, entrepreneurs, researchers, and policymakers, alongside structured training aimed at startups, professionals, university students, and government officials. The government expects the selected operator to develop sustainable revenue models through industry partnerships, membership fees, and commercial training services over time, reducing dependency on government funding and signaling a longer term commitment to building out Pakistan’s AI ecosystem rather than running a one-off grant programme.
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