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Nust to get EC grant for research
UNDER the Asia Link Programme for research and human resources development, four universities in France, UK, China and Pakistan will receive Euro 400,000 from the European Commission (EC).
This was announced by the National University of Science and Technology (Nust) here last week. The grant will provide an opportunity to Nust to broaden the research canvas and address the need for improving the higher education situation in Pakistan, specially the acute shortage of suitably qualified faculty in technical areas such as information technology and computer sciences.
The Nust press release said the university would work in synergy with the University of Savoie Annecy, France; University of West England, UK; and Beijing Institute of Technology, China. It said, in the larger context, the project would provide a vibrant opportunity to the people of Pakistan, who have an enormous potential to contribute to the world social, economical, and technological growth, resulting in the development of enlightened leaders and sustained growth of the country.
From broader perspective, this consolidated effort would provide the platform for close and better understanding of the EU among present and future Pakistani academic, political, and business decision makers, facilitating economic cooperation and cultural exchange.
Inter-Islamic network on IT
An Inter-Islamic Network on Information Technology (INIT) has been established at the Comsats Institute of Information Technology (CIIT) here under the auspices of OIC Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (Comstech).
The aim of network is to promote research, development and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). The network would provide a platform to the OIC countries to catalyze collaboration and cooperation through dialogue and maintaining data banks.
The network would help in automating the government and business process for enhancing the institutional capacity and building human resource through the medication of ICTs.
The network is ideally placed, drawing synergy from being located in CIIT which is a quality IT institution.
Project for CIIT approved
The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has approved a Rs35 million project titled ‘Capacity Building in Computational Mathematics’ for Comsats Institute of Information Technology (CIIT).
The project is basically designed to support the degree programmes being offered in computational mathematics leading to four-year BS, MS and PhD programmes with special focus on research at higher level, an official statement said.
It would further create an academic environment promoting inquiry and critical thinking right from the undergraduate level to the graduate studies and postgraduate research.
Through the project, well-equipped labs would be set up in the institute with computational tools to help the use of sophisticated applications for teaching and research and support the ongoing programmes in mathematics.
The project would also be helpful in serving students from the entire country in general and Islamabad/Rawalpindi in particular.
The main objective of the project is to enhance cross- disciplinary linkages and the use of knowledge in basic sciences, particularly, in mathematics for understanding the advances in computing concepts as are applied in computer sciences, telecommunications and other areas.
The project also aims at providing a forum for promoting and strengthening linkages between basic and applied research, theoretical and experimental methods.
The project would also provide workforce to core application areas like finance, accounting, derivatives, etc.
This would allow dissemination and cross-fertilization of new ideas, principles and techniques across the broad and inter- disciplinary front.
The project would be an important step towards helping the country in achieving its objective of developing human resources and promoting research activities in areas such as computational mathematics.
Under the chairmanship of the HEC executive director, Dr M. Akram Shaikh, the project was approved at a meeting of the Departmental Development Working Party (DDWP) of the HEC held recently at its campus in Islamabad and will be completed in a period of four years.
HEC okays project for LUMHS
The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has decided to upgrade the laboratories of Forensic and Toxicology Department in Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro.
The project, which will be completed in a period of one year at a cost of Rs14 million, was approved in a meeting of the HEC’s Departmental Development Working Party.
The project is aimed at establishing a modern laboratory to facilitate the university students, faculty members and researchers. It will not only help in facilitating common man in prompt delivery of reports based on scientific evidence in a court, but also in determining causes of deaths in medico-legal cases.
The scheme will also identify toxins, chemical agents, pathogenic microorganisms and other substances in potable water, and recommend measures to the quarters concerned to prevent spread of water-borne diseases.
Under the project, modern laboratory equipment will be provided to the university. — Dawn ScienceDotcom Report
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