ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) in collaboration with the British Council has completed a one-yearlong research capacity building programme to train research professionals.

An outcome dissemination ceremony of the series of training programmes was held at HEC Secretariat in Islamabad to mark its successful completion.

The ceremony was attended by HEC Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmed, Head of Education at British Council Pakistan Sarah Pervez, Deputy Vice Chancellor Research of Coventry University UK Prof Richard Dashwood, Prof Elena Gaura, HEC Adviser Global Engagement Division Awais Ahmad, and Director General R&ID Hazrat Bilal.

More than 1,000 faculty members have been trained in research skills like research proposal development, project management, research support mechanism, embedding impact pathways into research and application of international best practices in the peer review process.

Across the research streams, 71 ORIC professionals, 391 researchers, 330 principal investigatorsand 237 reviewers received the training in 23 workshops held across Pakistan.

The HEC chairman said the outcome dissemination ceremony was a testament to the success of the programme and the commitment of the HEC and its partners to promoting research excellence in Pakistan.

He said for the last 20 years, HEC had done a lot of work in the research arena despite financial challenges.

HEC with the help of the government of Pakistan is committed to giving exposure to the researchers and making sure that continued investment is ensured for the higher education sector.

The progress evident from many indicators besides research publication show continuous improvement. More than 30,000 publications are published every yearbyPakistaniresearchers.

He urged the programme trainees to become master trainers for otherresearcherssothatthey can conduct solution-oriented and impactful research.

Awais Ahmad, in his welcoming remarks, said this was the first of its kind holistic intervention by the HEC under theumbrella of Pak-UK Education Gateway. It is encouraging to note that under this project, in the short time span of one year (starting from Feb 2022), more than 1,000 principal investigators, research and commercialisation support service providers at ORICs and our grant reviewers have been trained.

The ceremony also included presentations from Dr Elena Gaura to give insights to the audience. She said co-creation has been the heart and soul of this programme. Trainees were fully engaged and actively participated and created solutions for the challenges that they are facing asresearchers.

Dr Richard Dashwood shared information about the programmes of Coventry University and offered cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

The project aims to promote student and faculty mobility, develop joint research projects, higher education leadership and enhance the quality of education in both the countries.

The HEC in collaboration with the British Council and the UK government has launched the Pak-UK Education Gateway project. APP