EU backs Pakistan research with H2020
The European Commission is set to support Pakistani researchers with between €300-€400m drawn from Horizon 2020.
The announcement was made by the Stefano Gatto, the acting head of the delegation of European Union in Pakistan at an awareness seminar on Horizon 2020. Speaking at the event, Gatto commented that the Union wanted to help Pakistan to become “much more vibrant in the field of science and research”, recognising the country’s rapid growth.
Adding his thoughts during the seminar, Professor Dr Muhammad Qaiser, vice-chancellor of Karachi University, said: “Research is the future of mankind and solutions for all the societal problems are hidden in research and scholarly work.”
The vice-chancellor also commented that the EU funding would be directed towards helping researchers in their projects, as well as encouraging sustainable development in the area of science and technology in Pakistan.
Also speaking to delegates at the seminar was Denis Dambois, EU counsellor for scientific affairs in New Delhi, India, who informed attendees via video link that there was a “dire need for innovative research for the developing nations”. He also commented that the EU was “working in collaboration with … 402 Pakistani students, and ten scholars have gotten grants from the EU which is highly appreciable and commendable.”
The seminar was organised by the EU Delegation to Pakistan, the University of Karachi and the Pakistan Science Foundation.
