ISLAMABAD, Oct 25: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has decided to hold a series of one-day seminars for the faculty members of both private and public sector universities for preparation of research proposals.

The seminars will be held at Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Quetta and Peshawar wherein potential researchers would be given an orientation and training for preparation of research proposals to be submitted to the HEC for funding, said an official statement.

The HEC believes that after this orientation the participants would be capable of training their colleagues in their respective universities.

It would not only save time in preparation of projects but also streamline the handling of the project and its evaluation. In this respect, a one-day seminar was held on the HEC campus, the other day in which the faculty members/researchers from the universities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad participated.

Dr M Akram Shaikh, HEC Executive Director, inaugurated the seminar and suggested the participants to keep them abreast with the latest advancements being made around the world.

He said the worth of educationists was being recognized by the government these days and the government had realized that the educationists were the persons having the capability to lead the nation.

He further said it was time to come up with constructive research studies, as it was a fundamental and basic need for further development. He offered all assistance of the HEC to the universities to equip them with better libraries, laboratories and other research tools.

Dr S Mehmood Raza, Advisor (R&D) HEC, briefing the participants on the research grants programme of the HEC, said lack of basic equipment, laboratory supply and scientific literature was often an impediment to the productivity of many creative and talented professors, scientists and technologists in the universities and R&D organizations in the country.

Keeping in view these facts, he said, the Higher Education Commission has launched a national research programme for universities whereby research projects were being invited from faculty members for support in the fields of science, technology, engineering, information technology, bio-technology, chemical technology, pharmaceutical sciences, basic and health sciences as well as social sciences.