Introduction

South Asia THA (SATHA) Chapter has been established to elicit regional growth and economic development through enhanced coordination and networking among University-Industry-Governments (UIG). By World Bank definition South Asia is the region for the southern region of the Asian continent which is comprised of eight countries Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan. With a combined population of around 1.4 billion, South Asia is home to world's half population of poor men and women. Best climatic conditions and geostrategic locations raise the importance of these countries. The region has a wide variety of resources ranging from natural resources to sophisticated information technology resource based. The combined GDP of all eight countries is around USD 1.8 trillion and a per capita GDP is slightly over USD 1000. The area has wide educational and industrial base to uplift the economic potential of the region.

South Asia THA (SATHA) has been established to spur research, innovation economic growth and regional competitiveness in the region to cope the challenges of growing population and poverty. Among the major challenges of South Asian countries are the weak political, social and economic institutional base which has pushed the region among the poorest areas of the world. SATHA through its knowledge-based activities intends to build coordinated interactions among the suppliers and users (UIG) of knowledge.

SATHA intends to build interactions between the UIG actors of the region with articulated protocols and with focus on building the capacity of UIG actors for better performance which can ensure economic growth through innovation, entrepreneurial capacities, enhanced knowledge and technology transfer. SATHA will try to improve the overall level and quality of interactions among the UIG actors which involve several strategies to improve higher education, effective coordination, training and development and capacity building of the human resources engaged in UIG.

SATHA will facilitate the regional universities, industries and governments to articulate strategies for better performance through which the dream of regional competitiveness, innovation and higher living standards can be achieved. SATHA will work with the subchapters of each country to ensure its regional objectives. SATHA in coordination with donor agencies will develop projects for research and training to build the capacity of subchapters for the promotion of SATHA objectives.

Furthermore, the content-specific aims of the SATHA are in line with THA and it will align its all activities and strategies according to the overarching objectives of THA. SATHA intends to promote analyses and studies on the interaction between universities, firms, and government, aimed at translating academic models into practical achievements. It will support international exchange of scholars and educate scholars in the field of THA's mission. It will organize international symposia of relevant scientific interest, provide a common discussion framework for Triple Helix actors in order to engage in regional development and boost the innovation capacity, encourage and support entrepreneurship and competitiveness.