Workshop on ‘Project Formulation’ at GCU

LAHORE

Speakers at the inauguration of the workshop on “Project Formulation” at the Government College University, Lahore said that designing a science project is an art which scientists have to learn especially to win funding. 

“Around 70 percent of projects submitted to the Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) for funding are technically weak, and most of scientists even failed to justify the prime objectives of their research,” they said.

According to a press release, the two-day workshop was organised by the university’s Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialisation (GCU-ORIC) in collaboration with the Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) for training and capacity building of the young faculty members.

In his keynote address, PSF Chairman Prof Dr Muhammad Ashraf called on the faculty members to focus more on applied research, saying that “only 36 percent of their funding is available for the basic research while remaining is dedicated to the applied research.”

He said they were writing to the vice-chancellors of all universities to motivate their faculty towards research.

Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Hassan Amir Shah called upon the PSF to also fund social sciences project, saying that “they may not require as much funding as needed for the experimental sciences.”

GCU Director Quality Enhancement Ms Iram Sohail said aboaut 30 faculty members of GCU were participating in the two-day workshop which was organised to train them about the techniques of project formulation, including conceptualisation, analysing feasibility, cost-effectiveness and risks, defining benefits and expectations and designing project schedule. GCU ORIC Director Prof Dr Ikram-ul-Haq and PSF resource person Prof Dr Shafiq-ur-Rehman also spoke.