In order to facilitate research and development in the higher education learning system, a partnership was established between the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan and the British Council Pakistan under the project of Higher Education Links with British Universities. The purpose of the program was to enhance the research and training capacity of Higher Education Institutions (HEI’s) in Pakistan.
Initially, 15 higher education links between Pakistani and UK universities/education institutions were activated in year 2004 for a period of three years, ending June 2007. (Report of 15 links may be seen in Related Documents) Subsequently, Phase II of the Project was launched in December 2006.
Under phase II of the project, 35 links were developed and completed in December 2009. The established links were focused on meeting the following objectives:
- Development of research and training capacity of higher education institutions in Pakistan.
- Improved teaching methodologies.
- Improved management system.
- Course and curriculum development.
- Faculty development
More over, these links were created with a special focus on Science related disciplines and specifically cater the research oriented projects across Pakistan. The focused subject areas include:
- Engineering Sciences
- Pharmaceuticals
- Biotechnology
- Information Technology
- Social Sciences/ Management Sciences
- Agricultural Sciences and
- Health Sciences
Comprehensive Report of Phase 2 is given in Related Documents.