LAHORE, July 23: The Pakistan Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) Laboratories Complex, Lahore, is planning to get a degree awarding status and its officials are busy framing a charter in this regard.

The University Grants Commission and the science and technology minister have agreed to a proposal in this regard, sources privy to developments say, adding PhD degrees will be awarded in applied sciences only.

The PCSIR is the only institution which is doing applying research as the work being done at universities lacks this aspect, they say.

They admit that the University of Engineering and Technology could have done the job but, they say, it could not produce even a single PhD holder in this field.

They say that students of the Punjab University are completing their research work at the PCSIR facilities but the PU authorities do not even acknowledge this support. They should give it a status of an adjunct faculty, they say.

Had they given this status, the representatives of the PCSIR in the university’s senate and other forums could have drawn the attention of the PU management towards the ignored field of applied research, they say.

They say the PU’s chemical department had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the institution but they never shared the cost of chemicals and manpower used at the PCSIR facilities.

“They do not acknowledge even support rendered by the PCSIR staff in the research work by mentioning at least their names as supervisors in research papers.”

It is highly unfair that the PU is recovering fees from students while it is not recognizing the contribution being made by the PCSIR, they say.