HEC invites proposals under GCF grant

Islamabad: Higher Education Commission (HEC) has invited research proposals from Pakistani faculty members of public and private universities for HEC funding under the Grand Challenge Fund (GCF) Research Grant Program 2021.

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The amount of funding for GCF awards is Rs15 million to Rs225 million for a maximum project duration of three years, the official sources disclosed to the media on Monday. They said that HEC announced May 23 as the deadline for project outline submission.

For further information, the faculty members are advised to visit www.hec.gov.pk/site/GCF. According to officials, the Grand Challenge Fund is a key element of the Higher Education Development in Pakistan Project supported by the World Bank and implemented by HEC. Grand Challenge Fund is anticipated to promote research excellence in strategic sectors of the economy and will provide funds to selected institutions based upon a competitive, peer-reviewed evaluation of proposals, the sources added.

GCF will support large, multisectoral/multidimensional research projects, they added. Successful GCF projects are expected to be collaborative in scope, with research teams working cooperatively to accelerate research progress for societal impact.

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GCF is focused on supporting research in priority thematic areas of national interest. The GCF, the officials said, is focused on supporting innovation and research in the following areas of national interest which include: Food Security, Water Management and Sustainability, Sustainable Energy, Sociology and Philosophy, Development Economics, Urban Planning, and others.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 21st, 2021.