LAHORE: (Thursday, August 13, 2026): Punjab University Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC) in collaboration with CEMB-PU, organized an insight event titled “From HEC Directions to Impact: Advancing the Applied Research Initiatives” at Al Razi Hall here on Thursday. The seminar was organized for PhD faculty members to discuss current research funding opportunities, challenges in Pakistan’s research ecosystem, commercialization, collaborations, and ways to increase the societal impact of university research. On this occasion, PU Pro Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Mahmood Saleem, Former Chairman Pakistan Science Foundation Prof. Dr. Shahid Mahmood Baig, Prof. Dr. Syed Habib Ali Bukhari from HEC, Islamabad, President Pakistan Academy of Sciences Prof. Dr. Kauser Abdullah Malik, Director CEMB Prof. Dr. Moazur Rahman, Director ORIC Engr. Prof. Dr. Aqil Inam, and others were present. In his address, Prof. Dr. Mahmood Saleem described the event as more than a routine seminar, emphasizing the need for a change in perspective from publication to citation and from bench work to field impact. He highlighted the enormous human resource potential of PU with its 19 faculties, 10 campuses and 125 departments. He noted that faculty members are working on solutions to important national challenges, including climate-resilient crops and models for social cohesion. He emphasized that ORIC should serve as the engine of entrepreneurship and commercialization at the university and encouraged the development of research laboratories into commercial spin-offs. He urged researchers to consider three questions before applying for funding: what local problem will the research solve, which industry will collaborate and how many jobs will it create? Prof. Dr. Shahid Mahmood Baig discussed the history and evolution of research funding organizations and the funding opportunities available to researchers. He said that Pakistan currently spends only around 0.16% of its GDP on science, while funding opportunities remain limited. He highlighted that despite these constraints, Pakistani scientists are producing excellent research. He emphasized networking, collaboration and stronger linkages among researchers as important ways to access national and international funding opportunities.
Prof. Dr. Syed Habib Ali Bukhari gave an overview of HEC initiatives and discussed the challenges faced by the Commission and universities. He emphasized that credibility and competence are built through timely applications, quality research and international collaborations. He stressed that research should be linked to societal needs, including population growth, access to clean drinking water, poverty and poor hygiene conditions. He stated that every rupee invested in research should lead to measurable socioeconomic and national impact.
He also discussed evidence gaps in the research ecosystem and the need for better evidence from universities regarding commercialization, return on investment, job creation, startup survival and equipment utilization. He emphasized the importance of identifying the “brakes” in the research ecosystem and measuring inputs, outputs, outcomes and national impact. He presented the HEC transformation model and its vision for 2030–2031. He appreciated CEMB’s work on the development of climate-resilient crops and informed participants about an ongoing HEC seed funding call for technologies related to the defence sector. Prof. Dr. Kauser Abdullah Malik highlighted the importance of giving the scientific community greater independence to think and work. Drawing comparisons with international universities, he noted that professors are often expected to seek research funding from external agencies, while a larger number of funding agencies are available to support research. He encouraged senior professors and faculty members to develop a stronger culture of identifying and securing their own research funds. He stressed that regulatory matters should be carefully reviewed by the relevant authorities so that they support rather than hinder scientific research and innovation. Prof Dr Aqil welcomed the distinguished guests and participants and highlighted the need for such discussions to strengthen applied research and improve linkages between research, funding and national priorities. He also discussed ORIC’s key performance indicators and the challenges associated with university rankings. He said that patent-based indicators can disadvantage comprehensive universities such as PU because of the large number of departments in the social sciences. A panel discussion followed the talks, focusing on research funding flows, collaboration and clustering of research groups to attract international funding. The importance of collaboration was reiterated by the speakers and participants.