ISLAMABAD, Feb 20: The Research and Development Fund Committee of Pakistan Telecommunication Company (PTCL) on Friday approved funding of 13 projects worth Rs13.4 million.

The approval was given at the 19th meeting of the committee held at the offices of the Ministry of Information Technology which was presided over by Information Technology Minister Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari.

The meeting reviewed proposals submitted by different public and private-sector organizations for funding of projects in the field of research and development. It approved nine proposals concerning research and organization of workshops, conferences, exhibitions and symposiums.

The recipients of the funding include 11 educational institutions and universities of the country. Different sub- committees formed by the central committee headed by the IT minister had already recommended release of funds.

However, the committee stipulated that the funding being provided out of the Rs1 billion research and development fund set up in the PTCL would be made available to the organizations after the receipt of audited report of the expenditure and a strict review of the proceedings and recommendations compiled by the organizers of the events.

The committee would also ensure that the grant was strictly used for the stated purpose. The meeting deliberated in depth the proposal put forward and took decisions only after laid-down criteria were followed.

One of the proposals was submitted by the Pakistan Software Export Board seeking Rs5.94 million grant for the organization of domestic IT exhibitions and conferences in collaboration with reputed event management partners and provincial governments to showcase local Pakistani IT companies and their products besides highlighting the emerging trends in the IT and telecom sector.

The committee agreed to release the required funding but also directed the PSEB to seek funding from partners in the sector.

The meeting agreed to fund a project titled Excellence in Dialysis Update in Nephrology submitted by the Kidney Foundation seeking Rs1.29 million funds for organizing an international symposium on dialysis to seek remedial solutions and statistical data to make young doctors aware of the latest advancements in the fields of nephrology and dialysis.

The third proposal was forwarded by HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry, Karachi for $35,000 for organizing 9th International Symposium on Natural Product Chemistry with an aim to highlight the role of scientific research, particularly in chemistry and related fields, for sustainable development and increase self-reliance in developing countries through effective utilization of their resources.

The committee agreed to release Rs1.5 million as recommended by a sub-committee. A grant of Rs200,000 was also okayed for the University of Arid Agriculture Rawalpindi for the organization of an international workshop on impact of climate change on agriculture, management of crop residue, nitrogen and water use efficiency and role of government and socio-economic factors in the climate change.

The committee also decided to release Rs600,000 in response to a request for Rs1 million funding by Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Science and Technology for the organization of IEEE international multi-topic conference to discuss relevant topics and areas with a view to creating an environment for scientists and engineers to share their research.

It also agreed to release $22,515 as recommended by a sub- committee to Centre of Excellence in Water Resources Engineering, University of Engineering and Technology Lahore, for organizing a six-day international training workshop on hydrosalinity abatement and advance techniques for sustainable irrigated agriculture to be held from March 22-27, 2004.