More than 700 apply for GCF grant

ISLAMABAD: The apex regulator of higher education in the country on Friday said that it had received as many as 700 applications for its Grand Challenge Fund (GCF), which is backed by the World Bank.

“For too long, the HEC has funded research projects without asking whether they had any impact,” said Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairman Dr Tariq Banuri on Friday. He went on to explain the three-year GCF grant as different with an ethos to assess the quality of research on how it will contribute to socio-economic development in Pakistan, how it will help solve the problems that confront us, and how it will support communities, businesses, farmers, and the government in making decisions that improve the lives of ordinary citizens.

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“GCF is a very competitive grant,” he said, adding that the success rate is no more than three or four per cent with grants going through a peer-reviewed evaluation by high-level committees.

“We do expect papers to be published in the best journals. But we also expect to see results on the ground,” said the HEC chief.

He said that in the first phase of GCF - in 20-21, some 25 proposals will be selected from the 700 submissions. The challenge statements (i.e problems to be solved) have been kept relatively broad and address nine thematic areas including food security, water management and sustainability; sustainable energy, sociology and philosophy, development economics, urban planning, climate change and environment.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 23^rd, 2020.