March 19, 2003	Wednesday	Muharram 15, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, March 18: Higher Education Commission (HEC) will establish centralized hi-tech laboratories at various public- sector universities.

According to a press release issued here on Tuesday, the commission has approved several projects for setting up centralized instrumentation centres, hi-tech labs and central resource laboratories at the universities.

The statement said mostly outdated equipment was available in laboratories that adversely affected quality of research.

Under the projects, sophisticated equipment will be added to the existing facilities, it added.

The HEC has approved projects for establishing centralised instrumentation centres at University of Arid Agriculture, Rawalpindi; University of Balochistan, Quetta; and University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Lahore.

The commission has also launched projects to set up hi-tech labs and central resource laboratories at Government College University, Lahore; Gomal University, D.I. Khan; and Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur.

A project for strengthening science laboratories and library of Lahore College for Women University, Lahore, and two schemes — Strengthening of Laboratories of Molecular Genetics, Microbiology and Environmental Biology at Quaid-i-azam University, Islamabad, and Establishment of Telecommunication Laboratory at UET, Lahore — have also been approved by the HEC.

The main objective of these projects is to promote and facilitate advancement of science and technology in the country.

The projects will also enhance accessibility to sophisticated equipment for research in science and technology, and offer advanced laboratory facilities to scientists.