ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) is funding scientific societies for promotion of science and technology across the country. The second phase of funding has initiated.
Talking to WealthPK, Saifullah Azeem, Director of Planning and Development and Project Director of Funding Scientific Societies, said the cost of the project for financial assistance to the scientific societies in Pakistan (phase-two) was Rs125 million. The annual allocation is around Rs15 million.
“The funding for the Pak-US Natural Science Linkages Program (NSLP) is for scientists working on natural science research proposals in the public and private sectors. A research proposal’s technical excellence and relevance to the nation’s socioeconomic needs are appraised. If scientists have R&D capabilities but are unable to implement them due to financial obligations, the NSLP will give them help and funds. Principal Investigators (PIs) receive research money on a six-month basis,” he said.
Under the Travel Grant programme, scientists, technologists, and physicians receive funding to present their research work at international conferences. The funding will cover their travel, registration, and living expenses. In addition, funding is available for short-term i.e. 1-2 weeks under the travel grant,’’ he said.
Saifullah said each society will provide Young Researcher Awards for exceptional accomplishments in a given year.
‘‘Young scientist Dr. Shah Fahd of the University of Haripur (UOH) from the Department of Agronomy is honored with ‘Comstech Young Researcher Award 2021’. Dr. Shah is among those few students whose names have appeared in the Standford University list of top 2% scientists of the world,’’ he said.
Saifullah said conferences, seminars and symposia provide a forum for scientists to share their research experience with each other. Knowledge is exchanged at such events.
‘‘If the conference organisers need funds, they can submit a formal request and they will receive it. All requests must be presented through the official PSF pro forma and through proper channel. The PSF’s principal objective is to encourage scientific research and related activities; hence, they sponsor research in a vast array of fields,’’ he said, adding that the scientific societies should be registered with the Registrar Societies under the Societies Act.
According to the Societies Act, Saifullah said, the scientific societies must be registered with the Registrar Societies.
‘‘There are different societies busy promoting science and technology in the country, but only 36 of them are registered with the PSF and only 16 to 17 are active. The other societies are sometimes active and sometimes dormant. The PSF provides grant-in-aid to these societies but they should be active in their respective fields. They should have developed credibility at the national level. They should hold national and international seminars, workshops and conferences on a regular basis for funding,’’ he remarked.
For the upcoming fiscal year, the federal government has proposed an amount of Rs45 million for financial support to the scientific societies in Pakistan (phase two). The federal government has proposed a budget of Rs5.66 billion for the programme that falls within the purview of the Science and Technological Research Division. Additionally, the federal government has proposed a budget for the digital transformation, strengthening, and automation of the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR).
The 11th International Conference on Research in Science and Technology was held in France last year. The conference looked at the current issues and developments in the field of science and technology, as well as examined the trends that are expected to emerge in the near future. It is essential to participate in cross-cultural research activities in order to keep abreast of the most recent developments.
