ISLAMABAD:A total of 770 concept proposals were received by the researchers and students under the Competitive Research Programme (CRP) of the Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) during the year 2021-22.
According to an official source, these concept proposals were received under the two calls including Fourth Call and Smog Call by the PSF under CRP.
A total of 41 projects worth Rs. 259.65 million were approved for funding after the completion of 4 peer review and technical evaluation through different Execution Committees.
Out of these approved projects, first installment of 16 projects amounting Rs 75.832 million was released. An amount of Rs 11.7 million was released to 53 ongoing projects on account of due installments.
CRP projects are mostly of applied nature and result in the development of new products, technologies, processes or techniques. Some short-term projects resulted in the development of prototypes like an indigenous Ventilator machine, Diagnostic catheter and automatic Syringe Pump for Intravenous Infusion of COVID-19 Patients in ICU.
The CRP is the PSDP awarded to PSF to finance research projects under four streams including Individual Research, Consortium Research, Triple Helix Model and International Linkages.
The main objectives of CRP were the provision of research grants to address the mega national issues and promote world-class research and development (R&D) of the new processes, products, applications or technologies through native knowledge and skills of the researchers working in the universities and Research and Development Institutions.
The other objectives included conducting multi-disciplinary research on the mega issues of national importance through provision of Consortium Research Grants and pursuing collaborative projects with the established International Partners for Indigenous Technology Development particularly for substitution of imports.
Public-Private collaborations by providing strong platform to R&D institutions to liaise with Industry and Academia for the improvement and commercialization of their end-products so as to enhance the exports and Technological transformations in the specified thrust or priority areas to boost the economy that may result in the generation of Science and Technology Human resource as well as financial capital was also the hallmark of these projects.
The CRP also targeted capacity-building training for the project staff (National) and Project Formulation Workshops for the researchers and promotion of demand-driven research by linking public sector capability and private sector marketability.