Working under the direction set forth by the agreement on bilateral cooperation between the governments of Pakistan and Belarus, signed May 2015 to enable the realization of the “Road Map of Bilateral Cooperation between the Republic of Belarus and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in the Short and Medium Term,” COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT), together with the Pakistan Academy of Sciences (PAS), under the patronage of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the government of Pakistan hosted the second joint Pakistan-Belarus ‘Young Scientists Forum’ in Islamabad from 17th to 22nd December 2017.
National Academy of Sciences Belarus (NASB) at Minsk in 2015 was hosted by the maiden forum. The purpose of this reciprocal forum was to show the high quality of research being conducted in Pakistan and to help identify opportunities for collaboration in high priority areas of science and technology.
The young scientists from a wide range of disciplines of various Belarusian universities and research institutions of NASB, namely Alexey Keltskov, Anna Hadarovich, Anton Martinov, Andrei Bandalouski, Aksana Paulava, Egor Kaniukov, Dmitriy Shiman, Pavel Krasochka, Volha Alisiyonak and Ilya Baryskevich participated in this emerging forum.
The delegates met CIIT Rector, Professor Dr. Raheel Qamar (T.I.), who has encouraged all forum participants from CIIT and Belarus to use the opportunity to seek paths for collaboration.
They visited the research and scientific labs of CIIT, Islamabad Campus on the subsequent days. They also met with the senior researchers working on various innovative projects with their faculty and students.
The Belarussian scientists presented their own research, that was very interesting for CIIT researchers, students, and faculty.
The delegates also learned about the culture and heritage of Pakistan. They enjoyed the cuisine and songs. They have particularly appreciated the warmth of the Pakistani people.