Islamabad, 4 February 2022 (TDI): COMSTECH, the Ministerial Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation of the OIC, Islamabad, Pakistan, and Mustafa (PBUH) Science and Technology Foundation (MSTF), Tehran, Iran signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), today.

COMSTECH was represented by its Coordinator-General, Professor Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary, whereas MSTF was represented by its CEO, Mahdi Safarinia for the signing ceremony.

The MoU between the two entities will serve to promote discourse and collaboration between both organizations as well as respective scientists and employees.

Moreover, it will provide opportunities for collaborative research activities along with increasing the capacity of existing as well as prospective role-players who avidly pursue progress in the realm of science, innovation, and technology in the Islamic World.

The agreement is designed to help the expansion of cooperation between the two organizations in sectors of mutual interest. The emphasis will be on the value that can be accomplished by collaborative performance for shared objectives and aims.

COMSTECH and MSTF will together boost collaboration, along with consulting with each other to identify the most profitable techniques in the utilization of technical cooperation methodologies.

These will be in the fields of socio-economic development, science and technology, fast industrialization, and relevant areas of shared interest. In addition, COMSTECH and MSTF will exchange information and documentation in their respective domains of competence.

The two will execute programs and schemes to expand the scientific and technological capability of OIC member states along with jointly applying for funding options obtainable from international and domestic sources.

These will then be employed to develop the technological and scientific capacity of OIC members. The two entities also signed a joint young scientists’ fellowship program agreement.

The agreement will support the young scientists with the collaboration of prestigious research and scientific institutes of reputed enterprises in Islamic countries. The program will help young intellectuals and technologists by furnishing them with a 6 to 12 month-long fellowship.