About

Panoramic view of the KIU campus in Gilgit-Baltistan.

A Brief History of the Partnership

Beginning with a million-dollar grant from the Department of State, the KIU-UO Partnership has been going strong since 2013. In that time, UO and KIU have launched several successful projects such as “UO receives $1 million grant for university partnership in Pakistan and Building Women’s Entrepreneurial Networks in Pakistan.“

Some information about the projects

UO receiving the $1-million grant had a spectacular purpose of promoting curricular and professional development at KIU, specifically in the fields of environmental studies, business management, local entrepreneurial and sustainable development. The program involved a sequence of faculty exchanges between 2014 and 2017, working with UO faculty mentors and professional development partners.

Continuing with this success, in August of 2019, two women entrepreneurs (Caroline Cummings, a Eugene-based investor, catalyst, and business advisor) and Karen Bonner, MBA ’13 (cofounder of Red Duck Foods) from Oregon, traveled to Gilgit to help inaugurate the women’s entrepreneurial network there. Following this, in October of the same year, four Pakistani entrepreneurs and two KIU faculty members traveled to Oregon and experienced the ecosystem workings, and learned from our Eugene community.

Partner Institutions

University of Oregon
Nestled in the lush Willamette Valley, with an easy drive to both the Pacific Ocean and the Cascade Mountains, the University of Oregon is renowned for its research prowess and commitment to teaching.

Karakoram International University
Committed to providing local and indigenous-related studies and training workshops such as gem-stone cutting, jewelry designing, wood-cutting, wood-crafting, and mining techniques and safeguards which will surely help the natives of this area to smartly market and groom their existing potential in a more professional and sophisticated manner, keeping the needs and demands of the modem times.