The Higher Education Commission (HEC), has awarded six-month Research Fellowships to 156 PhD scholars from the top 200 universities of the world during the 53rd award ceremony under the International Research Support Initiative Programme (IRSIP).
Under IRSIP, HEC has so far distributed a total of 6,545 awards, representing 79 Pakistani universities. Among the current awardees, six scholars are going to the top 10 universities, 44 to the top 50 universities, and 71 to the top 100 universities of the world.
Chairman HEC Dr Mukhtar Ahmed was the chief guest of the ceremony held Tuesday, also attended by Director General (Human Research Development Division) HEC Ms Aayesha Ikram, Vice Chancellors, faculty members, IRSIP experts and reviewers, supervisors, alumni and awardees, and parents. The event started with a pre-departure orientation by Project Director (HRD) Jehanzeb Khan.
In his remarks, Dr Mukhtar Ahmed highlighted the importance of research and training opportunities for doctoral students at advanced research laboratories of reputed universities abroad. He said, “The programme helps enhance the quality of doctoral research being conducted in Pakistan.”