ISLAMABAD, Sept 26: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has awarded PhD scholarships to 40 teachers of public sector engineering universities for higher studies in China, an official statement issued here said.

The teachers who have been awarded scholarships will carry out their research projects in engineering sciences in various universities and institutions of the People’s Republic of China.

These scholarships are being awarded in collaboration with China Scholarship Council under the faculty development programme.

The scholarship programme will be fully funded by the Government of Pakistan. The HEC will monitor the progress of each trainee through China Scholarship Council in consultation with respective adviser, in universities abroad. The scholarship will be extended year-by-year on the basis of the annual report.

Before departure to China, the scholars will be briefed on the scheme at HEC Headquarters at H-9, Islamabad on Saturday by the commission chairman and the Chinese ambassador to Pakistan.

It said this sorts of collaboration with China would further strengthened brotherly relations between the two countries and to exchange their intellectual development in various disciplines.