KARACHI: Societies can only progress if we set out priorities right and the need of the hour is to realize that we have to invest in education, health, and research sectors on an emergency basis so that the next generation could have better lives.
These views were expressed by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Karachi Professor Dr. Khalid Mahmood Iraqi on Friday. He was addressing the inaugural session of the three-day hands-on training on ‘research proposal writing-secrets of successes and reasons of failures’ organized by the KU Dr. A.Q. Khan Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering.
The research should not be limited to the laboratories only, but research should be promoted keeping in mind the social problems that can benefit society, he said.
The former associate Dean of the Aga Khan University Professor Dr Anwar Ali Siddiqui is leading a panel of resource persons including Professor Dr Asim Jamal Siddiqui (Statistics), Professor Jamil Kazmi (Geography) and Dr Saboohi Raza (Agriculture).
The KU VC Professor Dr Khalid Iraqi urged that a multidisciplinary approach is the need of the hour as gone are the days when research was conducted in laboratories only. Now the research needs to show its impact on society at large. A research proposal is more likely to succeed if it can provide suggestions for solutions to the problems faced by society.
Meanwhile, the Director General KIBGE Professor Abid Azhar while welcoming the participants emphasized the need for holding such workshops for budding academicians and researchers. He pledged that the institution will continue to strive for providing training to those seeking foundations for research.
The former Associate Dean AKU Professor Dr Anwar Ali Siddiqui said that a workshop of this kind is imperative to integrate academia with society and it will ultimately lead to the progress of individuals and society.
The workshop is being attended by participants from varied disciplines ranging from biosciences, engineering, social sciences, and medicine.