ISLAMABAD, Oct 30: The government has initiated a proposal under which engineering universities will be able to carry out part of the defence-related research.

The proposal, if approved, will be implemented in a three- year timeframe.

The recommendation is part of Rs1.9 billion project to meet the requirements of indigenous research in the fields of defence, industry and other sectors of the economy.

The recommendation is based on the findings of a committee headed by Lt-Gen M. Akram Khan. Other members of the committee are officials from KRL, PAEC, PSTC and PCSIR along with two professors of an engineering university.

The proposal submitted by the committee to the government for promoting engineering design, fabrication and manufacturing aims at fostering close cooperation between the manufacturing industry and the engineering and educational-research institutions.

It is recommended that the North Zone including areas of Islamabad, Taxila, Kamra and Gadoon, working in manufacturing tanks and APCs, missiles, radars, aircraft rebuild and nuclear engineering, should pool their research capabilities with the UET Taxila, Nust, PIAEC and GIK institute.

The committee has proposed that manufacturing units supported by vendor industry in Karachi-Hyderabad industrial zone, engaged in technologies of ship and submarine fabrication, assembly of electronic components, polymer products, machine tool manufacturing, steel pipes and girder manufacturing, should interact with NED Karachi and UET Jamshoro.

The plan envisions establishment of an ‘Institute of Engineering Design, Fabrication and Manufacturing’ at NED Karachi at an initial cost of Rs285 million with research and development facilities in the areas of computer-aided design and drafting laboratory, stress analysis and non-destructive testing laboratory, vibration analysis, condition monitoring and dynamic response analysis lab, general mechanical workshop with metal forming and fabrication faculty, electronic devices manufacturing facility, polymer processing facility and precision machining facility.

Similar institutes would be set up at UET Lahore at a cost of Rs295 million and UET Taxila at a cost of Rs150 million.

The institute at Lahore would specialize in research and development related to electron beam and laser applications facility, electronic devices manufacturing facility, production tooling with surface finishing and special purpose coating facility, stress and vibration analysis lab, polymers, composites and ceramics processing and testing facility among others.

The institute at Taxila would specialize in electronics and digital systems development facility, vibration analysis and dynamic response analysis lab, heat transfer lab, explosion and shockwave analysis lab among other facilities.