Celebrating success: HEC hands out awards to outstanding academics

A number of high achievers honoured.

ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) hosted a high achiever’s ceremony for researchers and writers Thursday, in the fifth HEC Outstanding Research Award ceremony, hosted at its Secretariat.

Awards were given in four categories — Best Research Paper, Best Young Research Scholar, Best Innovator, and Best Book in eight disciplines including Basic and Applied Sciences, Biological Sciences, Pure Engineering, Computer Sciences, Social Sciences, Management Sciences, and Arts and Humanities.

Federal Minister of Science and Technology Rana Tanveer Hussain said, “We have to support and encourage young researchers if we seek to progress and excel as a nation”.

He said science and technology are the foremost elements of socioeconomic development of the country, and a strong academic system and research culture are essential prerequisites for this.

He stressed the need for harmonising research activities with national needs. “We have to focus on need-based research so that it can contribute to society and its practical utility can benefit our economy.”

In his opening speech, HEC Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmed briefed the minister on HEC initiatives undertaken to ensure high quality of education and research. He said that the HEC, while promoting a culture of research in the country’s universities, is focusing on the relevance of research so that it can meet national needs. He said the number of research journals has increased considerably, from a meagre 800 in 2002, to over 10,000 in 2014-15, as the HEC has provided researchers with a conducive environment. “The HEC has ensured the provision of necessary infrastructure to universities,” he said.

The chairman gave an overview of the initiatives HEC has undertaken for the promotion of research, which include travel grants, research grants, patent filing support, offices of research, innovation and commercialisation, and business incubation centres, established by the HEC in universities that are promoting innovation and commercialisation.

HEC has launched collaborative research projects with different countries, including the United States, France, the UK and Germany. Three centres of excellence in the energy sector, and water and food security have already been established in Pakistan, while work to set up another centre on climate change in the next financial year is already in progress. He also shared the measures proposed by the HEC on the transfer of technology, with focus on fields such as electronics, nanotechnology and automobiles, with support from South Korea.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 25^th, 2016.