HEC seeks proposals under tech project

Official says fund will finance applied research for prototype development

ISLAMABAD:

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has invited the faculty members to submit proposals under its Technology Development Fund aimed at facilitating institutions of higher learning to serve as engines for socio-economic development of Pakistan.

According to an official of HEC, the fund will finance proposals of completed interdisciplinary applied research for prototype development and industrial value addition for technology-based product or process development.

The idea behind this initiative is to help the productive minds of Pakistan to impact the economy through the development of new and emerging technologies.

This initiative enabled the research ecosystem lied with higher education institutions to be available for the industry with financial and technical assistance (IP, Licensing, and Commercialization) through academic scientists for the solution of indigenous industrial problems. This programme has already funded 200 joint academia-industry projects and over 160 licensed to industry for mass scaling and commercialisation. A good number of such projects have already started yielding revenue and which is shared with all stakeholders.

Considering the facts above, Central Development Working Party approved the project's enhanced scope to give the 4th Call for proposals. Hence, PhD faculty members who have ready research, lab scale, or pre-prototype should submit the proposals with the consortia of industry and academic partners in the thematic areas including climate change and its impact on the socio-economics of Pakistan, Telecommunication, Information and Technology/Computers, Engineering Sciences, Micro Electronics, Water, Power, Energy, and Fleet Management and Biotechnology and Allied fields.

The other areas include Material Sciences/Man-Made Material (Nanotechnology), Robotics, Defense, and Military needs and any other applied discipline which is inductive or conducive to the success of products developed or upscale the process of Industrial level manufacturing.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, December 21^st, 2022.