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Ambassador of Hungary in Islamabad Béla Fazekas called on Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmed at Commission Secretariat on Tuesday.
Various opportunities were discussed for bilateral educational cooperation. Dr Ahmed acknowledged the long-standing educational partnership between the two countries, including an offering of scholarships to Pakistani nationals since 2016.
The ambassador informed HEC chairman that the number of scholarships offered per year will be increased from 200 to 400 and that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two countries will be effective from 2023 to 2025. The chairman affirmed that the commission would make full use of these scholarship opportunities.
Fazekas also emphasised the importance of investing in skills-based education in addition to degree courses. Dr Ahmed agreed that the global economy is increasingly moving towards a focus on skill-based employment, and suggested collaboration between skill-focused universities in Pakistan and Hungary to promote investment in skills. The ambassador also pointed out that Pakistan and Hungary have similar priority areas for research and development, specifically in fields such as agriculture, veterinary sciences, sports sciences, engineering and technology. He also suggested creating a forum for promoting the exchange of best practices between universities in both countries.
Fazekas stressed that Hungary places great value on its relationship with Pakistan which is built on shared interests and that Pakistan-Hungary Alumni Network has been set up in the same context. The network fosters cultural exchange and understanding, helping to break down barriers and promote mutual respect and understanding between the two countries.
HEC invites proposals
The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has invited research proposals from faculty members, under the RAPID Technology Transfer Grant (RTTG) programme.
The official sources told APP that HEC had invited faculty members of public and private sector universities/degree awarding institutions (DAIs) to submit research proposals focused on the transfer of university developed technologies and products to the industry and commercial sector.
The RTTG is a key element of the Higher Education Development in Pakistan (HEDP) project supported by the World Bank and implemented by the HEC.
It is a fast-track funding mechanism dealing with themes, topics, and issues of severe urgency for quick-response research on Flood Response, Climate Change and Environment.
The grant is anticipated to support proposals in applied research, product innovation, and commercialisation of developed technological research and solutions. The RTTG will provide funds to selected institutions based on a competitive, peer-reviewed evaluation of proposals.
The amount of funding for RTTG awards may range between Rs10 to Rs20 million with a maximum project duration of six months.
Sharing the details of applicant eligibility, the sources stated that Lead Principal Investigators (Pls) must be a regular faculty member of higher education institutions (public and private), or hold a contract equivalent to the length of the project duration.
The priority sectors for RTTG support are Flood Response, Climate Change and Environment, including but not limited to climate mitigation, adaptation, policy dialogue interventions and disaster management (focusing on climate modelling and disaster surveillance, environment monitoring, and geological monitoring), Metro-scale pollution reduction technologies, protection of available trees through artificial intelligence system controls, and use of membrane systems for gaseous and water industrial waste treatment
The other sectors, including the design and development of hybrid membranes and classical systems per the requirement of site and location, identification and development of hospital waste treatment processes, removal of arsenic/other toxic metal elements from industrial effluents and water underground aquifers, climate-smart agriculture, adapting agriculture production to climate change by developing climate resilient crop varieties with regard to heat, drought, and flooding (especially of wheat and cotton) and any other area related to Flood Response, Climate Change and Environment.
The project proposals on the prescribed application template must be submitted via HEC online portal. The deadline for project proposal submission is February 7, 2023.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 11th, 2023.
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