KARACHI, March 18: The Higher Education Commission has released a sum of Rs500 million for the HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry, University of Karachi, acting director of the institute Prof Dr Mohammad Iqbal Choudhry said on Tuesday.

He said that the institute had been upgraded to the International Centre for Chemical Science to strengthen the existing research fields of chemical sciences.

Prof Choudhry said that the funds would help establish new fields of research such as polymer chemistry, textile chemistry, forensic chemistry, pilot plant and industrial biotechnology, scientific instrument manufacturing unit, leather chemistry, pharmacology of herbal medicines and proteomics.—APP