Lack of funds affecting research and development

P&D chairman says research is important for policymakers and industry

LAHORE: Due to a lack of funding for research and development (R&D), universities, think-tanks and institutes are lagging when it comes to the needs of policymakers and industry.

This was stated by P&D Board Chairman Habibur Rehman Gilani while speaking at a seminar on Wednesday.

Vice chancellors, representatives of academic institutions from all over Punjab and industry representatives attended the session.

The P&D Board recently established the “Research & Development (R&D) Technical Support Fund for Academia to finance research activities that will contribute to developing market-oriented solutions for key industrial sectors and policy solutions.

This will enable the Punjab government to outsource innovative research ideas brought forward by the private sector to academia to provide an enabling business environment in the province and encourage educational institutions to invest time, energy and resources for quality research.

"Through the R&D project, we will strengthen universities/research institutes’ capacity to prepare and undertake quality research work. Under this project, all stakeholders can be expected to conduct applied research, short diagnostics, prepare policy papers and bring the necessary expertise to discuss options available for the Punjab government to achieve its mission and goals,” Gillani said.

He added that P&D would like to encourage universities, research institutes, chamber and industry bodies to support the R&D project.  He said they would be able to achieve this by bringing new research topics and innovative ideas to improve the standard and usefulness of applied research and by boosting industrial productivity.

Chief Economist Dr Amanullah, in his presentation, gave a detailed overview of the contribution of R&D in the public and private sector, including citing international examples from developed and developing countries.

The collaborations undertaken in the programme are expected to allow public sector and commercial entities to develop a streamlined mechanism to maximise private sector engagement, knowledge creation, skill development and sustainable solutions for consideration during policy formulation. “Furthermore, this initiative will also contribute to improving the overall capability of academic institutions and bridge the gap to develop systems that cater to the needs of the modern economy through the establishment of long-term industrial – government – academia linkages.,” he said.

Academia and industry representatives hailed this initiative and hoped that the government will support the removal of barriers and encourage initiatives for applied research and innovative solutions in the province.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 22^nd, 2019.