RAWALPINDI, Sept 1: The Department Development Working Party (DDWP) of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) has approved Rs35 million for establishing a Microelectronic Research Council (MERC) at University of the Punjab.

The HEC spokesperson, Dr Rashid Mateen, on Wednesday said MERC would be responsible for running MPhil in Microelectronics Engineering and Semiconductor Physics (MESP).

The research work carried out during the MESP course would be of international standard and could be extended to PhD studies and research. A close collaboration, he said, would be established with the Microelectronic Research Centre, Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge University, UK, and with Centre of Excellence in Solid State Physics, Punjab University, Lahore.

He said after MERC was fully operational, it would be capable of providing highly qualified teachers to the education departments. The trained manpower would also be used to attract technical investment in the country.

It had been estimated that handsome foreign investment in the field of microelectronic device fabrication would come to Pakistan if the capability of such technology was proven, he said.