By Muhammad Soban ISLAMABAD, April 05 (INP-WealthPK): The National Centre for Robotic and Automation (NCRA) is going to organise the third ‘Robotic and Automation Startup Challenge 2022’ at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) in order to promote the culture of robotics and automation in Pakistan by transforming the ideas of startups into products. The theme of the startup challenge is to focus on the development of indigenous products for automating any local industry as well as using robots and automation to solve societal problems, according to WealthPK. Concept designers from all over Pakistan are invited to submit their ideas to the startup challenge. A cash prize of up to Rs300,000 will be awarded to the winner. NCRA is a consortium of 11 laboratories of over 13 universities in Pakistan. It was established in 2018 in NUST with the aim to manage and efficiently utilise Pakistan's highly-skilled researchers, scientists, and experts in robotics and automation for the purpose of transforming Pakistan into one of the world's most technologically-advanced nations, reports WealthPK. These 13 universities are working separately under the umbrella of NCRA in the field of robot design development, human-centered robotics, industrial monitoring and automation, agriculture robotics, swarm robotics, control automotive and robotics, advanced robotics and automation, etc. The centre serves as a leading technological hub within the domain of robotics and automation. NCRA's mission is to build national capacity for robotics and automation research and development by bringing together local and international experts to assist in resolving a small number of “hard” issues. Robotic automation has been rapidly growing throughout the world with industries having experienced significant and rapid change. Robotic Processes Automation (RPA) has become widely used in advanced countries for digitising labour, capturing and storing big data, managing social media accounts and managing cloud computing environments. In order to remain competitive, companies are naturally interested in creating their own automated robotic systems. Research and Markets, the world’s largest market research store, estimated that the global robotics and automation market in 2021 reached around $1.63 billion, and by 2027 it is projected to grow to $7.67 billion. The startup culture in Pakistan is gaining popularity in every sector of the economy. Fintech and e-commerce are the leading sectors where a number of new startups have started emerging. The role of NCRA is very important in boosting startups in the field of robotics and automation. The startups in the field of robotics and automation in Pakistan can help resolve problems and bring solutions to the market through technology licensing and commercialisation. They can also provide high-value shared services to academia, startups, and industrial partners and boost human resource development in robotics and automation. However, to promote the startup's culture in robotics and automation in Pakistan, there is a need to overcome the industry's challenges. These challenges include creating an environment for robotic automation development, human resources, and labs. There is a need to promote the quality of education so the students can think innovatively and generate new ideas. Moreover, robotic automation development is a costly process. Countries like Pakistan have very few resources to invest in research and development. This automation process needs the highest level of investment to work on any project. The government of Pakistan needs to provide the required equipment and funds to produce students with international standard skills so they can productively contribute to the robotic and automation sector.