ISLAMABAD, Aug 8: The science establishment should promote and fund greater number of public utility inventions. This consensus was reached at a meeting of Islamabad Scientists Club where the participants advocated increased government support for the industry-friendly science products.

The club introduces novel scientific ideas that have their application in the people's life. In this tradition it offered its weekly forum on Saturday to Engineer M.N. Akhtar to spotlight the "Fuel Cell Technology".

Engineer Akhtar is doing a doctoral study on the same subject at the Punjab University of Engineering and Technology in Lahore. Fuel cell technology is a burgeoning theme for research in the western world.

It promises cheap and efficient power at less cost and insignificant pollution. It employs an electro-chemical energy conversion device to convert hydrogen and oxygen into water and in the process produce electricity and heat.

Since 1950, Nasa has used the technology with success to build a compact electricity generation for use in space missions. There was more than larger attendance at the meeting perhaps because of the prospect of cheaper electricity and less utility bills. Thus the subject was of public interest in that it concerned cheap generation of electricity.

Engineer Akhtar spoke of his effort in perfecting and simulating a minuscule hydrogen membrane fuel cell - a primary device of a lower magnitude which could be improved to generate megawatt level of electric power according to necessity, when the capacity of the cell was given a greater space inter-play.

However, he said he was looking for support and funds to prove the efficacy of his invention with needed supervision of a higher-level technical expert living overseas.

Engineer Akhtar said he had been denied access to the supervisor that was necessary to perfect his invention. He said because of the tardy process followed at the official level, he could not respond to invitations from Chinese institutions, which were eager to develop this new technology and put it to the use of the common citizens.

In this regard he touched on the Higher Education Commission that has a publicly expressed policy in favour of industrial application of scientific projects and inventions. But he said the policy concentrated on theoretical aspect of the theory.