HYDERABAD, May 26: There is a dire need to foster collaboration between Pakistani universities, research organizations, academicians and researchers and foreign organisations and Pakistani academicians working abroad in order to promote research activities, says the registrar of the Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET), Jamshoro.

Prof Dr M.A. Uqaili, who, recently visited the United States along with Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr A.Q.K. Rajput, said in a presentation to the faculty members on Thursday that the MUET was working for excellence in higher education.

The varsity would attain the prestigious status by improving capacity building of the faculty, innovative indigenous research, university-industry interaction, linkages with highly research-oriented universities of the world, exchange of faculty and the upgradation of laboratories and other allied facilities, he said.

Dr Uqaili and vice-chancellor visited several universities and signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with the University of Illinois, and the University of Central Florida during their visit, which was aimed at seeking support for PhD programme for junior faculty members at reduced cost, developing joint and cooperative research and international projects on mutually agreed topics, exchanging faculty, researchers and technical personnel and organizing scientific courses, seminars, workshops, symposia and lectures.

In this regard, he said, the MUET had developed linkages with reputed universities of developed world and singed MoUs with the University of Leeds, UK; University of Nottingham, UK; Montan University, Leaben, Austria, and Colorado State University, USA.

The presentation by Dr Uqaili and Abdul Ghani Pathan followed an open discussion in which Prof Dr Pir Roshan S Rashidi, Prof Dr Muhammad Ibrahim Pathan, Prof Dr Muhammad Ramzan Sabayo, Prof Dr Muhammad Rafique Abro, Dr Abdul Khaliq Ansari, Dr Bhawani Shanker Chowdhry, Dr Aftab Memon, Dr Ghous Bux Khaskheli, Prof Mohammad Soomar Khatri, Prof Muhammad Zahid Shaikh and others participated.

A large number of professors, directors, chairmen and officers attended the presentation.