COMSATS – A Potent Platform for South-South and Triangular Cooperation in ST&I

Established in 1994, Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS) is an intergovernmental organization (IGO) of 27 member states. Conceived by Nobel Laureate Prof. Dr. Abdus Salam, a world renowned Pakistani Scientist and Theoretical Physicist, COMSATS is aimed at bridging technology and knowledge gap between the developed and developing countries to attain sustainable socio-economic development through promotion of science, technology & Innovation and sharing of indigenous capacities.

Membership from Asia, Africa, Middle East and Latin America, constitute COMSATS platform. Chairperson of the Commission is the President of Republic of Ghana, Hon. John Dramani Mahama.

The functioning of COMSATS is mainly governed by the statutory bodies.

COMSATS is committed to fostering tech-based solutions through collaborative efforts of the Member States, deriving strength from its CoEs including 7 universities. Efforts are directed to keeping pace with technological development and adopting the Emerging Technologies. Sharing of technological knowledge, capacity building, promoting innovations and assisting Member States in their efforts towards implementation of SDGs are COMSATS’ major pursuits.  Through various initiatives, COMSATS aims to empower countries to exploit the full potential of science and technology for attaining sustainable development. In line with organizational objectives, COMSATS maintains cooperative arrangement with The Commonwealth, various entities of UN and OIC, and international organizations, including ANSO, TWAS, ICGEB, The South Centre, PIDF and INSME.

Fields of Expertise: Biotechnology, Food Technology/Agriculture, Health/Medical Sciences, Information and Communication Technologies, Clean Energy, Climate Change/Environment, Nanotechnology, Water Research, and Material Sciences.

COMSATS Flagship Programs: Pioneer in Internet Services & Data Centre services along with cloud computing, website-hosting, software solutions, and video/web conferencing. The COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), one of the CoEs, has campuses in seven cities of Pakistan, educating 34,000 students. CUI offers significant number of scholarships for students from COMSATS Member States. COMSATS Telehealth program provides cost-effective healthcare services to the people in remote areas by a team of dedicated doctors sitting in Resource Centre in Islamabad serving around 400 patients, every day. TeleHealth is a glaring example of use of technology to serve people.

Successful ventures of COMSATS include COMSATS Joint Centre for Industrial Biotechnology (CCIB) and COMSATS Centre for Climate & Sustainability (CCCS). Established in April 2021, at the Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology (TIB), China, CCIB promotes meaningful cooperation among the Member States in industrial biotechnology. CCIB has initiated five high-level joint R&D projects involving over 10 research teams; supported 14 young visiting scholars; cultivated 6 postgraduates and PhD students; published over 25 SCI papers; as well as applied six patents. Capacity-building through online workshops, training courses for researchers covering frontier technologies in synthetic biology and biomanufacturing are CCIB’s highlight features.

The COMSATS Centre for Climate & Sustainability (CCCS), established in 2018, has attracted 20 countries and over 24 institutes to collaborate for addressing the common challenges of climate change and environmental protection. In the context, CCCS collaborates with international organisations, and institutions, focusing on the nexus of agriculture, food, energy, water, biodiversity, climate-resilient infrastructure, and disaster risk reduction. CCCS promotes capacity-building; R&D; exchange of tech knowledge, expertise, good practices and resources among member states. CCCS has contributed in capacity building activities in the areas of emerging technologies, such as green Hydrogen, Remote Sensing, Modeling and Simulation on Climate Change and Environmental Pollution, solar and fuel cell technologies, Industry 4.0 and advanced nanomaterials for environment-related applications.

Grant of observer status to COMSATS by the UNFCCC in 2023, was a milestone and manifestation of COMSATS’ significance. It entitled CCCS’ participation in the sessions and meetings of the Convention’s governing and subsidiary bodies and contribute to the development of action plans mandated by the COP and its subsidiary bodies. During COP29, CCCS, in collaboration with several partner organizations, organized 13 impactful sideline events. These events focused on critical themes such as climate finance, adaptation strategies, disaster risk management, carbon markets, renewable energy and the role of innovative technologies in fostering resilience and sustainability, particularly for developing countries.

COMSATS is a proponent of driving eco-friendly innovations. Development of indigenous technology by its partner AGECO to convert the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles to Electric Vehicles (EVs) through retrofitting is a groundbreaking achievement. It is multi-dimensional initiative with economic, social, health and environmental aspects at its centre. In the context of the country of its adaptation, import substitution, import bill reduction, attainment of SDGs 7 & 13, cleaner environment, carbon credit, and innovation with grip on technology will be the hallmark. In the context of SDG 3 of opening of avenues in Renewable Energy, COMSATS initiative of development of Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWT), has met with success. These efforts, coupled with the recent launch of COMSATS Cloud Computing Services, highlight COMSATS’ commitment to strengthening the technological infrastructure that is vital for development.

COMSATS is executing a skill development program for Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, for youth in merged areas in Web Design and Development, Graphics Design, Mobile App Development, Business Intelligence, and e-Commerce, to help enhance their employability.

COMSATS has also ventured into a series of other initiatives in the fields such as Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics, IT AI&SQA training courses, Precision Agriculture, Genomic Sequencing, Precision Medicine, etc. In this regard, important agreements have been concluded in the domain of emerging technologies.

COMSATS remains committed to its mission of scientific and technological progress of the developing world and is thankful to its Host Country, Pakistan, other Member States, Network members and partner organizations for their unwavering support in its noble pursuits.