EVERY year, massive funds are allocated for research projects in Pakistan through the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF). One wonders what is the outcome of all this research supposedly going on in the country.

The fact is that much of this so-called research is either low-impact replication of foreign studies, or, worse, paperwork with no actual experimentation. Several public universities are becoming factories churning out irrelevant publications designed merely to boost curriculum vitas (CVs) for faculty promotions and appointment against administrative posts.

Alarming reports indicate that many grants are awarded not on merit, but through personal connections, nepotism or even bribes. The selection committees, often lacking effective transparency, enable a culture of mediocrity, and some investigators are known to divert funds without any meaningful scientific output.

Pakistan’s research and development (R&D) spending remains below 0.3 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP). Despite the publication of more than 25,000 research articles in 2022, fewer than 4pc were cited internationally, and hardly any translated into patents or solutions.

We are clearly happy with published papers, and are just not interested in tangible progress. It is time to tie funding to real, measurable outcomes, and to bring transparency to the entire grant approval process. Without structural reforms, public research funds will continue to be wasted, while national problems remain unresolved.

Mubarak Ali Khan
Mardan

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2025