Comstech, IFS approve over Rs33m for science projects

Islamabad: OIC ministerial standing committee on scientific and technological cooperation (Comstech), Islamabad and International Foundation for Science (IFS), Stockholm, Sweden have selected seventeen research projects from 10 OIC member states – Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Togo and Uganda for the session 2020.

A total funding of $210,197 has been granted to these projects. These projects have been granted in the fields of animal production, crop science, food science, forestry/ agroforestry, natural products and social science. Project funding granted in this session ranges from $7,000 to 15,000 each project.

Four Pakistani scientists have won grants worth Rs7.806 million for their research projects in this session. Comstech-IFS has so far financed 358 research projects in various disciplines of science and technology in 32 OIC member states by providing $3.898 million funds. The 358 research projects from Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Gabon, Gambia, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somali, Sudan, Suriname, Togo, Tunisia and Uganda have been financed under this program.

Comstech and IFS agreed in February 1998 to enter into a collaborative program to strengthen the capacity in developing countries which are members of OIC to conduct relevant and high-quality research in sciences related to the management, use and conservation of biological resources. The program is funded in equal parts by Comstech and IFS.