Promoting knowledge exchange in universties

Higher Education Commission, British Council sign LoI.

ISLAMABAD:

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the British Council are collaborating to promote knowledge exchange programmes in higher education institutions.

According to a press statement, HEC Executive Director Sohail Naqvi and British Council Country Director David Martin singed a letter of intent for the purpuse in a meeting held here on Monday. HEC Chairperson Javaid Laghari was also present on the occasion.

The HEC Executive Director told The Express Tribune that the knowledge exchange initiative aims at using the capacity of universities for gathering knowledge and disseminating it to industries, communities and policymakers for the “betterment of the society”.

The universities will identify issues related to development, which will be shared with policymakers.

In addition, the universitites’ vice-chancellors, deans and registrars will be provided opportunities for international exposure to gain knowledge and share it with the local concerned stakeholders, he said.

“Such initiatives had been taken in the past as well but now it will be made systematic in collaboration with the British Council,” he added.

According to the press statement, the project will support HEC to develop a national strategy and a five-year strategic plan on higher education sector’s knowledge programme.

HEC and the British Council will work with vice-chancellors, deans, registrars and heads of department in local universities to develop knowledge exchange strategies in collaboration with their UK partner institutions, which will then be implemented in the respective institutions.

Then there is development of a training programme for the staff of newly-established Office of Research Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC) at universities in partnership with a UK institution. A network of UK and Pakistani partner institutions specialising in a specific academic/industry sector will be created.

This network of universities will showcase successful collaboration on knowledge exchange between universities and the business or social sector.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 23^rd, 2011.