0
KARACHI, Jan 20: The Pakistan Organization of Collaborative Research (POCR) programme has been initiated to provide linkages with foreign universities and scientists in order to help foster higher education and research in the country.
This was stated by the Chairman of the Higher Education Commission, Prof Dr Atta-ur-Rahman, at the inaugural session of the 7th international symposium on protein structure function relationship at a local hotel on Monday.
The five-day moot is being organized by the HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry and the International Centre for Chemical Sciences, University of Karachi.
Prof Atta said that under the programme noted scientists from abroad would be invited for a few weeks so that they write projects. There will also be an exchange of faculty members between two institutions under the programme.
He emphasized the need for developing a long-term sustainable linkage for having an impact and that the POCR would be a very exciting programme under which there would be linkages for several years. “There will also be a strong network of scientists who will be available for research works.”
Prof Atta also spoke of the steps that are being taken for the development of faculty as well as fostering the PhD programme.
He said that there was a Rs100-million research fund and the faculty can apply for projects in different disciplines.
The chairman of the higher education commission said that the PTCL research and development fund of Rs600 million was also available for the projects, and that universities in the private sector can also benefit from it.
He pointed out that the distant-learning programme was an important tool for education.
It was stated that the internet facility, which was available in 29 cities and towns about two-and-a-half years ago, has been extended to over 1,000 places.
Some 57 universities in the country are being linked up by the PTCL optic fibre so that a lecture delivered elsewhere can also be heard at the University of Karachi and other institutions.
As many as 17 out of the 57 universities have already been interconnected, while the remaining institutions would be interlinked with each other in about two months.
PHD PROGRAMME: Talking to this news agency after the programme, Prof Atta said that a major programme for PhD level development was being launched at a cost of about Rs8 billion.
He said out of about 7,000 faculty members in our universities, 5,000 did not possess PhD degrees.
“So we have discussed a mega project with the planning commission and this will cost between Rs7 and Rs8 billion over the next five to six years.”
He was of the view that the annual number of PhDs to be produced in Pakistan would be between 1,200 and 1,500 six years after the launch of the programme.
Prof Atta said that development fund for science and technology was at present 4.3 billion. However, efforts were underway to increase it to Rs9.5 billion from the next year.
Speaking at the symposium, Karachi University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Zafar Saied Saify said that sophisticated techniques were being designed to increase the sources of food production, animal reproduction as well as designing important medicines to cure fatal diseases like AIDS and cancer.
He stated that continued research on protein had become more important with ever-growing population.
Prof Samar Hasnain of the Daresbury Laboratory, UK, highlighted the importance of metallo proteins in disease, like motor neuron disease and tuberculosis associated with aging.
Prof Louise Johnson showed how protein targeting can be used as a tool for treatment of cancer.
The organising secretary of the symposium, Prof Atiya Abbasi, presented vote of thanks.—APP
