Innovative nation

As a research student, everyday I witness the positive impact of HEC support on research, innovation and education. It is first and foremost an investment in people – in particular, Pakistan’s youth. When we invest together, we empower our societies to tackle common challenges and reach shared objectives of competitive innovation, sustainable economic growth, job creation, environmental protection and social inclusion.Research, innovation and education are a public good. Investing in them creates synergies, economies of scale and a very high return. We know that every rupee invested in research and innovation generates an impressive value added for business and economy. Yet, despite these impressive returns, Pakistan still has not closed the investment gap with even underdeveloped countries of Asia. The Global Innovation Index Report 2018 reveals that Pakistan is one of the least innovative countries in the world and ranked 109 out of 126 countries. Moreover, HEC research funding fails to support up to 80 percent of the excellent ideas that are brought forward. Today, we lack the money at the higher education level and the mechanisms at the national level to support such ideas, in particular when they are developed by international project teams, a prerequisite for research excellence. This is unsustainable and not in Pakistan’s best interest. In view of this, I respectfully ask the government of Pakistan to allocate the necessary financial resources to the HEC that will truly allow research programmes to deliver to their full potential. Such a decision will contribute to Pakistan’s future economic prosperity and will have a direct impact on the daily lives of our citizens.Saad ur Rehman SaadiIslamabad

from The News International - Newspost http://bit.ly/2VvTuXu