US to provide $8 million for research in science, technology

Islamabad

United States will provide more than $8 million in joint funding for high-level collaborative research in Pakistan in the field of science and technology, with a new focus on health and other fields such as water, energy, and information technology.

In this regard, Ambassador of the United States in Pakistan David Hale and Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairman Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed signed a Memorandum of Understanding here on Thursday. This will be the seventh phase of Pakistan-US Science and Technology Cooperation Programme which was initiated in 2015.

Since the programme’s inception, the United States and Pakistan have jointly funded nearly $34 million in collaborative research, supporting 96 projects conducted by scientists and researchers from both the nations working in collaboration.

Each year, researchers, scholars, and scientists from the United States and Pakistan propose subjects for research, and are selected for funding through a competitive process. Previous grantees, some of whom were present in the audience, focused on diverse topics, including food security, public health, disaster management, engineering, water, energy, and information technology. 

The Higher Education Commission, Pakistan, the US Agency for International Development, and the US Department of State are the joint contributors to the Programme.