Muhammad Saleem

Following the emerging global trends, Pakistan needs joint research centers to boost innovation in science, arts, and agriculture, Chairperson Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC) Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad told WealthPK.

Dr Ahmad said the commission recently invited around 100 public and private universities in Punjab to submit proposals for 22 different themes. The Commission received 300 proposals. After that, a presentation was given to Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, who instructed that the proposals be shortlisted and brought down to around 10.

“As per the chief minister’s instructions, we have completed the preliminary presentation of 10 shortlisted proposals, and their review is in progress so that the referees can give their feedback. The purpose of the entire exercise is to develop the best possible clusters.

A cluster means one university will act as a hub, while other institutions will work together with it. “These clusters will be based on resource-sharing. One important point is that we do not want to construct new buildings. Instead, we will invest in the resources that already exist so that they can be used more effectively,” he added.

“Another purpose of these clusters is to eliminate duplication. At present, the same kind of work is being done in different places, causing wastage of resources. We also want to avoid research that is carried out just for adding lines to someone’s CV.  Our goal is that this work should benefit the nation, the people, and the society at large.” He said the project would be launched by the end of the current year, or possibly earlier, as funds are already available for the initiative.

Before its launch, the PHEC will organize a major conference in Lahore on August 30. The participants of the conference will also discuss the establishment of joint research centers. Research and development clusters will be established at all universities in Punjab. These centers, he explained, will cover diverse fields including science, agriculture, engineering, arts, and humanities.

Efforts are underway to integrate the research and development capacities of universities. Dr Ahmed said a couple of weeks ago, he had met with the vice chancellors of different public sector universities and discussed the issue of joint research centers in detail.

During the discussion, the VCs were asked to propose research centers in collaboration with other higher education institutions. “The good thing about these clusters is that they will be established without bricks and mortar. The best minds in different fields will be engaged and funding provided for sustainable research and development activities,” Dr Ahmed said.

He also told the meeting participants that governance and institutional reforms were being introduced in the higher education institutions to enhance performance in view of the challenges. Recommendations have also been sought from the vice chancellors for the initiative, he said.

Credit: INP-WealthPk