HEC invites proposals for Thematic Research Grant Programme

Islamabad

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has invited proposals for Thematic Research Grant Programme (TRGP) for 2015-16, especially designed to address contemporary issues and promote Social Sciences in the country.

Social Sciences scholars and researchers with
theoretical, conceptual and methodological or policy orientation background have been encouraged to apply for grants.

The full-time faculty members of public and selected private sector universities and degree awarding institutions will submit their proposals against different themes.

The topics include politics, constitution and governance; national security and foreign policy; society and culture; economy issues
and prospects; education policy, leadership and management; history, archaeology and anthropology studies; print, electronic and social media; and literature and languages.

A maximum funding of Rs10m will be provided for each project approved under TRGP. Fifteen projects have already been completed under Thematic Research Grant Programme, while 25 projects are under process. It is expected that 30-40 new projects will be funded this year.

Higher Education Commission accords special importance to Social Sciences and the aim of this grant is to not only to promote research work of Social Scientists but also encourage them to work on critical social issues of Pakistani society.

For this purpose, HEC has also been organising international conferences on Social Sciences for gathering national and international scholars to share ideas and experiences.

Social Sciences Section of HEC’s Academics Division was established in 2003 to fulfill responsibilities of identifying the realities of diverse social and human issues. Since its establishment, it has taken several steps to boost research culture and explore new avenues for Social Scientists conducting research in emerging areas.

Since 2005, over 150 national research journals have been recognised and funded. As many as 16 workshops were organised and several others are being planned for near future.

In order to enhance quality of research journals and introduce modern research trends and methodologies in editing, 21 workshops were conducted for Editors of Social Science research journals since 2005.