The Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) has approved 41 projects worth Rs259.65 million for funding under its Competitive Research Programme (CRP), WealthPK reports. According to details, a total of 770 concept proposals were submitted by the researchers and students under the programme during 2021-22. These concept proposals were received under the two calls – the fourth call and the smog call – by the PSF. A total of 41 projects worth Rs. 259.65 million were approved for funding after the completion of four peer reviews and the technical evaluation through different execution committees. Of these approved projects, the first instalment of Rs75.832 million for 16 projects was released. Rs11.7 million was also released for 53 ongoing projects on account of due instalments. The CRP projects are mostly of applied nature and result in the development of new products, technologies, processes or techniques.

Some short-term projects result in the development of prototypes like indigenous ventilator machines, diagnostic catheters and automatic syringe pumps for intravenous infusion of Covid-19 patients in the intensive care units. The CRP is a programme of the Public Sector Development Programme. It has been awarded to PSF to finance research projects under four streams, including individual research, consortium research, triple helix model and international linkages. The main objectives of CRP are the provision of research grants to address the mega national issues and promote world-class research and development of new processes, products, applications or technologies through the native knowledge and skills of the researchers working in the universities and research and development institutions. It is also meant to conduct multi-disciplinary research on the mega issues of national importance through the provision of consortium research grants and pursuing collaborative projects with established international partners for indigenous technology development, particularly for the substitution of imports.

Public-private collaborations by providing a solid platform for research and development institutions to liaise with industry and academia for the improvement and commercialisation of their end-products so as to enhance the exports and technological transformations in the specified thrust or priority areas to boost the economy that may result in the generation of science and technology human resource as well as financial capital is also the hallmark of these projects. The CRP also targeted capacity-building training sessions for the project staff and project formulation workshops for the researchers and promotion of demand-driven research by linking public sector capability and private sector marketability, according to a press release received by WealthPK.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk