Islamabad (TDI): The OIC Ministerial Standing Committee on Science and Technology Cooperation (COMSTECH) and the Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Sunday to advance collaboration in science and technology.
The MoU intends to bolster research, capacity building, and information exchange among OIC member states, a major step toward increasing scientific development throughout the Islamic world.
Coordinator General OIC-COMSTECH, Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary, and Rector PIEAS, Dr. Naseem Irfan, signed the MoU in the presence of senior officials and the representatives from both organizations.
Under this MoU, OIC-COMSTECH and PIEAS would collaborate to develop and implement educational and scientific programs, arrange international conferences, workshops, and training courses, and support teacher and student exchanges.
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Moreover, the agreement would enable PIEAS to become an Associate Member of the COMSTECH Consortium of Excellence (CCoE), and register with the OIC Technology and Innovation Portal, therefore integrating its expertise into the larger scientific network of OIC states.
A key highlight of the MoU is the establishment of the Jabar Bin Hayan Scholarship Program. This program would allow students from OIC member states to study undergraduate, master’s, PhD, and post-doctoral studies at PIEAS.
The students would be able to excel in the disciplines of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, computer science, medical physics, engineering, and nuclear medicine, among other advanced fields.
COMSTECH would act as an outreach partner, leading overseas students to academic opportunities at PIEAS, meanwhile, the university would retain complete control over admissions and scholarship awarding.
Apart from the degree programs, the agreement would also facilitate the COMSTECH Distinguished Scholars Program, thus enabling PIEAS to host renowned scholars, facilitating them in research and development through a series of lectures, training sessions and workshops.
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Furthermore, COMSTECH would facilitate short-term fellowships to cover international academic exchanges and sabbatical visits, while PIEAS would provide accommodation to the students and researchers.
Through this MoU, both OIC-COMSTECH and PIEAS would hold joint training programs, partake in technology development initiatives, as well as collaborate on advanced research projects to support technological innovation and scientific progress.
This MoU is a crucial step toward boosting scientific excellence and innovation in the Muslim world, which is in line with the objectives of COMSTECH, to strengthen science and technology collaboration among the OIC nations.
Javaria Khalid is a Web Contributor at The Diplomatic Insight Magazine. She specializes in covering geopolitical developments, international relations, diplomatic, and socio-economic developments in Europe and Pakistan.
