HEC provides Rs63.2m grant to IU for research projects

Islamabad: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) on Monday approved a hefty grant of Rs63.2 million for the research initiatives proposed by the academics of Iqra University (IU) in the fields of engineering sciences, business studies, media studies, and social sciences under the National Research Program for Universities (NRPU), says a press release.

The research projects will be completed in the time frame allocated — 18 to 36 months — under the supervision of principal investigators from Iqra University. It is anticipated that the findings of these research projects will help the farming and agricultural industries, clinical and health sciences, food import and environmental sciences, and the advertising industry in terms of public service campaigns.

The NRPU awards were given to proposals that were collaborative in nature, with teams consisting of junior and senior academic staff, male and female researchers, and appropriate industrial collaborators, and were selected through a merit-based, independent, and transparent evaluation and selection process based on international standards.

The approved projects include smart farming proposed by Dr Mansoor Ibrahim to aid governmental initiatives to increase agriculture growth; Indigenous development of Artificial Intelligence proposed by Dr Syed Muhammad Asim Ali Rizvi with an aim to decrease the national disability rate in the country; food processing proposed by Dr Fawad Ahmad to suggest new sustainable modes of financing; environmental challenges and renewable energy options by Dr Muhammad Khan; effectiveness of existing public service campaigns proposed by Dr Ubedullah Khoso.

The NRPU aims to promote research culture by awarding research grants for high quality and promising scientific research initiatives that demonstrate the strategic significance and cast influence on local industry and society. The program invited basic and applied research proposals and allowed researchers the freedom to formulate and present their research concepts and methods in order to promote excellence and knowledge advancement for social and economic development.