New scholarship program for the overseas research degrees has been announced by Pakistan Higher Education Commission.
For funding from Pakistani faculty members of public and private universities under the Grand Challenge Fund (GCF), the Higher Education Commission (HEC) has asked research proposals. The final deadline is 7 February 2020 to submit proposals.
GCF is a key component of a World Bank-supported and HEC-driven Pakistan Higher Education Program. It is expected that the Fund will foster academic excellence in the economic strategic fields and provide support to selected institutions based on competitive, peer-reviewed evaluations.
It supports broad, multi-sectoral and multi-dimensional projects of study. Successful GCF programs are expected to work in partnership with research teams who work together to speed up social impact research.
The Fund concentrates on fostering work in key fields of national interest. Every year, for three years, up to 25 grants will be granted. The size of the individual subsidy is from Rs. 15 million to Rs. 225 million.
Leading principal researchers are eligible to apply for the award, and they will be university faculty members from research institutions.
The project team may include a consortium of faculty members from multiple university departments and/or multiple universities, private sector participants as well as international partners. The international collaborations are encouraged when the international partner brings a unique added value to the project team
Proposals from academia or faculty members, endorsed by the head of higher education institutions, Offices of Research, Innovation and Commercialization, or Directorates of Research must be submitted througho nline portal eportal.hec.gov.pk. link
