French govt offers scholarships for KU faculty training

The government of France has offered 12 scholarship positions for faculty members of the Karachi University’s Dr Panjwani Centre for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research (PCMD)

Karachi

The government of France has offered 12 scholarship positions for faculty members of the Karachi University’s Dr Panjwani Centre for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research (PCMD), a spokesperson of the department announced on Monday.

The announcement came after a meeting between Pakistani and French scientists at the PCMD premises, which was presided by Professor Dr M Iqbal Choudhary, director of KU’s International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences, and was attended by Professor Dr Georges Massiot, Professor Dr Eric Dufourc, and Professor Dr Bruno Figadere from France, along with other relevant ICCBS officials. 

The spokesperson informed the media that a decision was made to also send engineering staff of the PCMD to France for technical training programmes.

He added that this particular Pak-France initiative would soon be made a reality and would help in promotion of science and technology education and endeavours in Pakistan. 

“This and other future collaborative efforts will help further strengthen the bilateral relations between Pakistan and France in the field of science and technological studies,” he said.

Speaking later at a special session on “French Excellence in Science” at the Prof Salimuzzaman Siddiqui Auditorium, Prof Choudhary hailed the deep-rooted and mutually strong research association between the ICCBS and French institutions.

“Pakistan and France need to work on more academic collaborations in the near future. We are highly appreciative of the interest being displayed by the French authorities and hope that our partnership continues to foster and produce valuable research for our respective countries,” he stated. 

In the recent past, several French scientists have visited KU’s ICCBS for research and academic endeavours, Prof Chaudhary said, adding that such ventures provide an excellent opportunity for young researchers, students and faculty members to learn from the visiting members. 

The session was also addressed by Professor Dr Georges Massiot, Professor Dr Eric Dufourc, and Professor Dr Bruno Figadere.