ISLAMABAD, Nov 4: The Italian government on Saturday signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Higher Education Commission (HEC) to collaborate in the establishment of a University of Engineering Science and Technology in Pakistan.

The document was signed by Gianni Vernatti, Deputy Foreign Minister on behalf of the Italian Government while Prof (Dr) Attaur Rahman represented the Pakistani Government at the HEC Secretariat on Saturday.

Speaking at a press conference following the MoU signing, the HEC chairman said: “This represents an important step in Pakistan’s transition from an agricultural economy to a knowledge-based economy.”

He told the gathering that 4,500 students of the nine engineering universities would be sent abroad for PhD studies. They would eventually form the faculty of those universities which would be established with the help of Rs250-300 billion in the next 10 years.

The Chairman praised Italy for its strong technical base, which would help Pakistan in establishing the university.

The university would be headed by the vice-chancellor from Italy while top professors and deans would also come from the country.

They would oversee the development of the university for 10- 12 years, ensure quality criteria, guarantee quality examination system and ensure the equivalence of the degree with the highest standards prevailing in their own country. Under the faculty development programme 100 students per year will be placed in Italian universities for PhD programmes.

Politecnico di Torino, one of the most prestigious technico- scientific institutions in Italy for engineering and architecture would lead the Consortium of universities which would provide technical support and expertise for setting up a world class university probably in Karachi. It is a research university with close connections with international institutions and high tech companies with all the technical expertise to provide assistance for setting up a high-level engineering university.