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Islamabad, June 11, 2013 (PPI-OT): The 2-day Principal Investigators’(PIs) Convention under “Pak-US National Sciences Linkage Programme (NSLP)” Endowment Fund of Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) started here on Tuesday.
The PIs Conventions is aimed at getting update on the status of projects as well as exchange of ideas regarding effective execution and pooling of national assets.
PSF Chairman, who is also the Chief Executive of NSLP, Prof. Dr. Manzoor H. Soomro, Ministry of Food Security and Research Representative Dr. Aslam Gill, Agriculture Consular of US Embassy Mr. Richard Dremnon, PSF Member Science Dr. Khalil Ibupoto and NSLP Principal Scientific Officer (PSO) Dr. Mirza Habib were present at the inaugural ceremony of the Convention held at a local hotel.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the Convention, the PSF Chairman said that the researchers working under NSLP programme should take on board the farmers so that the end user of their research could properly benefit from it. Highlighting the PSF research and science popularization programme, he spoke about the PSF’s research support, science caravan, inquiry-based science education programmes and collaboration with different national and international scientific institutions.
Dr. Soomro announced that they are working on awards for the scientists of NSLP funded projects every year on the pattern of PSF’s Dr. ZA Hashmi R and D Gold Medal Award instituted by the Pakistan Science Foundation to acknowledge contributions of the eminent scientists.
The Chairman said they are actively working to boost collaboration with US National Science Foundation.
Mr. Richard Dremnon appreciated the process of NSLP projects funding, monitoring and evaluation. He called upon the scientists to take up such projects that may result in food production increase ensuring availability of food to everyone.
Dr. Aslam Gill, representative of Ministry of Food Security and Research, who is also member of NSLP Board of Governors, spoke on the funding for NSLP research projects as well the scrutiny process of research project proposals. He appreciated the PSF role in promoting science culture in the country.
Dr. Mirza Habib while giving introduction of NSLP said, Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST), Government of Pakistan and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in November 2002 for cooperation in the field of Natural Sciences. Under the MoU an Endowment Fund “Natural Sciences Linkage Programme” (NSLP), was established for research funding and mutual cooperation in the field of Natural Science.
The handling of the NSLP Endowment funds was assigned to Pakistan Science Foundation, Islamabad from the sale proceeds of agricultural commodities imported under PL-480 and 416(b) programme. A sum of Rs.498.910 million was received to PSF through the Ministry of Finance and by adding the initial profit earned, the Endowment Fund was created with an amount of Rs.500 million in 2007.
He said, PSF is using the profit earned on the Endowment Fund for funding of research projects in Agriculture and related sciences for sustainable agricultural production with emphasis on enhanced benefits to the producers/farmers. The research projects are processed as per the set procedure of Pakistan Science Foundation with technical recommendations of two Pakistani experts and a US expert through the USDA.
Dr. Habib said the PIs of 40 projects out of total 57 ongoing projects of NSLP are attending the Convention aimed at getting update on the status of projects as well as exchange of ideas regarding effective execution and pooling of national assets. He said more than 350 projects are under process while the number of research projects is on the increase due to PSF Research Projects Formulation Workshop across the country and publicity in media.
For more information, contact:
Pakistan Science Foundation
1-Constitution Avenue,
Sector G-5/2, Islamabad
Pakistan
Tel: + 92 51 9202469-70
Fax: + 92 51 9202468