ISLAMABAD, Jan 23: A plan to take the country’s research organisations to the advanced level has been put on hold due to shortage of funds.

An official told Dawn that around 30 research projects at a cost of over $1 billion, conceived by the country’s researchers, including training of 100 engineers in space sciences and setting up of a national centre for material sciences, could not materialise because the government was awaiting financial assistance from the US.

A high-level delegation would leave for the US next month, hoping that the US government would consider the research proposals for funding, said the official who wished not to be named.

He said the government was depending on the US government’s promise to provide financial assistance to Pakistan under a programme of collaboration between the two countries in the field of science and technology, but so far there had been no development in this regard.

During President Gen Pervez Musharraf’s visit to the US in March last year, establishment of strong linkages between the two countries in the higher education sector and science and technology was high on the agenda.

Subsequently, a joint declaration was issued in which the presidents of the two countries decided to initiate a programme of collaboration in the field of higher education and science and technology.

A US delegation, led by Dr Arden Bement, director of the National Science Foundation, also visited Pakistan in October last. The delegation was presented research proposals by Pakistani science scholars. Pakistan also expressed its willingness to provide one-third of the projects’ cost.

The official said the projects would cost over 100 million dollar a year. The two countries had agreed on a10-year collaboration in the higher education sector.

The government has reduced the budget of the Higher Education Commission by Rs4.5 billion, which is also affecting research activities in universities and science and technology organisations.

In the background of the president’s visit to the US, science scholars of the country were asked to propose research projects, which were duly presented to the US delegation in presence of HEC officials.