What was the past year progress of PSF?
Dr. Manzoor Hussain Soomro: I was reappointed as Chairman PSF on 15-03-2010. Since I took the charge, apart from regular activities of Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF), I have concentrated on four issues and new initiatives. However, an emergency situation arose due to devastating floods across the country and in that hard time I mobilized PSF employees and sub-centers to help flood affected people.
So my efforts together with colleagues have been divided in five components i.e., flood relief activities, management and career planning of staff, interaction with different chambers of commerce and industry and R&D institutions for collaborative applied/industrial research and commercialization of the research results, new initiatives of in-house S&T services, databases and organization of seminars on key scientific issues of national importance, and international collaboration for promotion and popularization of S&T in the country.
PSF is committed to support research activities; in this regard we activated the Pak-US Endowment Fund through National Sciences Linkages Programs (NSLP) with the aim of productivity enhancement and benefit to the farmers. NSLP is a relatively new program in PSF based on an endowment fund of Rs.500 million for funding of research projects in Natural Sciences. Since the initiation of this fund in 2002, it has rather been dormant and slow moving. However, I geared it up and inducted staff for speedy process. We have held four meeting of technical committee in a short period, assessed about 133 projects; out of which 25 projects of socio economic importance have been approved and more are in process. Our focus is on applied nature projects which can bring change in the daily life of our countrymen.
How do you see industry academia liaison?
We don’t believe on research-for-the-sake-of-research; our motive is “Research for the betterment of life”. The academia needs to understand and realize what corporate community expects from our graduates. The industry must also articulate how the academics can be supported to acquire more in-depth knowledge of actual practices followed in the industry, and help them impart relevant knowledge and skills to the students for product development, documentation, marketing and life cycle support. To accomplish this task we are collaborating with different chambers of commerce and industry and the research institutes.
Recently PSF organized a joint symposium with the collaboration of Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) and Institute of Research Promotion (IRP). The objective of symposium was to develop a correlation between research objectives and local industries priorities and needs. It was emphasized that universities and R&D organizations have to increase their focus to tailor the research and should address the growing needs of the local industry to produce functional science and engineering work force. I strongly believe on Public Private Partnership, because that provides more strength to promote the socio-techno-economic environment throughout the country.
In our country, Pakistan there is dire need for making relevance between the functional knowledge and education that can be readily converted into commercial undertakings. I am really pleased that a huge number of researchers and industrialists were there to share their experiences. The researchers even put up on display over 40 posters of their works and technologies developed for the industrialists to benefit from.
Same kind of MoUs have been signed with Sukkur and Lahore Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Lasbella University of Agriculture, Water and Marine Sciences, Hazara University, Zoological Survey Department, HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry and with many more organizations.
What steps you are taking to increase international collaboration for promotion and popularization of S&T in the country?
L Main a la pate (Hands on) is a French program. It aims at developing S&T education at grass root level, using inquiry based learning, creating science awareness from primary school level and revamping an in-depth renewal of science teaching. Under the collaboration of French Embassy, PSF has been organizing seminars, teacher trainings, and workshops. We have signed MoU with the Academie Des Sciences - France in December 2010 which aims at ensuring to disseminate inquiry based teaching at Primary and Secondary levels supported by science education in order to foster the capacity of both the countries to acquire skills and other necessary elements for good understanding of nature and reality. It will also provide research support mechanism and popularize science in order to create science awareness at grass root level.
2011-2020 is declared as Biodiversity Decade. Where do we stand? Pakistan has 225 Protected Areas (PAs) 14 national parks, 99 wildlife sanctuaries, and 96 game reserves. Pakistan has given serious thought to protecting its biodiversity and endangered ecosystems through different conservation measures. The different priority areas include Himalayan moist temperate forests, the juniperus forests of Balochistan, and the mangrove forests of Sindh. Hunting of such species as the houbara bustard and the trapping of hawks and falcons threaten biological diversity as does over-use of high mountain pasture as well as the increasing urbanization of fertile lands.
The country lies at the western end of the South Asian subcontinent, and its flora and fauna are composed of a blend of Palearctic and Indomalayan elements, with some groups also containing forms from the Ethiopian region. Biodiversity is directly related to food security and play vital role in everyday life of human beings. Thus I would say, biodiversity is our life; to highlight the importance the biodiversity of this region PSF is organizing a travelling exhibition called “Biodiversity is Life- Biodiversity is Our Life”, starting from Islamabad on 14 Jan and will move countrywide till 31 March. Pakistan is proud to be the first country in the world for organizing this exhibition to begin the Decade of Biodiversity 2011-2020.
Tell us something about Science Caravan program?
Rural development lies at the heart of any meaningful development strategy. Keeping in view these eternal facts PSF launched Science Caravan Program which has been designed to bring awareness among the rural masses about S&T and how they can improve their life standards by adopting the modern scientific methods. The ‘Caravan’ is specially designed vehicle that transports display items to rural areas for setting up science exhibition in the schools. The exhibits include brightly illustrated electronic models and mechanical models for illustration of different scientific phenomenon. It is to be mentioned here that this program is gaining momentum with the time and has helped obtaining favorable results. At present, this is the only mechanism in site to carry the message to the majority of people and obtain their socio- economic levels. Science Caravan started operation in the rural areas of Islamabad in early 1988. Now nine Science Caravan Units are working in Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
What are your comments on S&T policy?
Overall, the responsibility of policy is with the Ministry of Science and Technology and on behalf of the Ministry, Pakistan Council for Science & Technology is working on S&T policy. So far, we are using 1984 policy which of course needs review and updating. I would like to say that we not only need policy but its implementation strategy should also come with it. If we are asked, PSF can bring stakeholders together to discuss the policy issues. But all stakeholders including the Ministries of Science & Technology, Education, Environment, Industries, IT and Commerce etc and the trader community should work together and contribute to the policy.
How we can strengthen our scientific activities?
World economies are now based on knowledge, and youth are the national asset and the latest research and education can help produce a knowledged and skilled generation that would ultimately contribute towards strengthening the country. PSF has injected spirit in the development of S&T by acknowledging the valuable contributions of productive scientists & academicians. PSF on the occasion of World Science Day conferred the Dr. Z.A. Hashmi R&D Gold Medal along with cash prize of 100,000 on two eminent scientists. Our aim is to promote true scientific culture which would produce eminent scientists in every corner of the country. We also honour inventors and innovators for their outstanding contributions.
Development in S&T has rather been very slow in the country and the government must allocate enough funds to initiate multiple projects in the S&T sector. This sector needs to be invested in, generously and without hiccups at least for a decade with sizeable budget, in addition to encouraging as well as promoting the academicians’ research activities and projects. For this purpose creation of endowment funds for research and research support activities would provide sustainability to the development of S&T in the country.
http://www.technologytimes.pk/mag/2011/jan11/supply01/an_exemplary_scientist.php
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