Amb. Dr. Nafees Zakaria was invited to NCP, Islamabad, to receive a briefing on the academic and R&D work being done by the Center and to tour its technical facilities.
Ambassador Dr. Nafees Zakaria, the Executive Director of COMSATS, was invited to the National Centre for Physics (NCP), Islamabad, to receive a briefing on the academic and R&D work being done by the Center and to tour its technical facilities.
The visit’s meeting with Dr. Mansoor Hameed Inayat, Director General NCP, and briefing on the role NCP is playing in important scientific areas sparked increased interest in fostering scientific cooperation around shared R&D activities and creating synergy.
The Executive Director of COMSATS and the Director General NCP discussed ways to benefit from one another’s strengths and expertise.
Dr. Inayat explained his plan for expanding NCP’s scientific endeavours. In this regard, he saw COMSATS as a venue for extending the reach of NCP through global cooperation. Both emphasised self-reliance and indigenization.
They concurred that innovation and S&T advancement depended on R&D work. Ambassador Nafees Zakaria gave the DG a briefing on some of the recent initiatives taken by COMSATS, such as those pertaining to genome sequencing, electric vehicles, precision agriculture, and renewable energy.
Senior NCP representatives also attended the meeting, including Mr. Irfan Hayee, Additional Director Programs, COMSATS, Dr. Hassan Shahzad, General Manager Technical, Dr. Mohsin Siddiq, Director Theoretical Physics Department, and Dr. Ishaq Ahmad, Director General COE Physics. The Executive Director also met a Nigerian post-doctoral research fellow from TWAS while touring NCP’s various technological divisions.
The National Centre for Physics in Islamabad, Pakistan, was founded in 1999 to advance the physical sciences and mathematical logic. The International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Italy, CERN in Switzerland, and the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) on behalf of the Pakistani Ministry of Energy closely coordinate and oversee the site’s operations.
It is targeted at educating universities and teaching organisations about the latest advances in physics. By giving them the chance to collaborate with foreign scientists who are invited to lecture and to regularly take part in the site’s research activities, the site aims to break the isolation of Pakistan’s top scientists.