Islamabad, July 28, 2025: Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan hosted on Monday a ceremony to celebrate the achievement of Batch 57, comprising 187 research fellows, selected for the award of six-moth fellowships under International Research Support Initiative Programme (IRSIP). The IRSIP winners are set to leave for different universities across the world to pursue fellowships in diverse disciplines.
HEC has been offering the IRSIP research fellowships to PhD scholars for top 200 global universities since 2003. HEC has so far sponsored 6,700 fellowships under the programme. For this batch, 674 applications were received by HEC, which were scrutinized and finalized by the HEC's IRSIP Committee.
Chairman HEC Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, who was chief guest of the ceremony, congratulated the fellowship winners on their accomplishment. He emphasized the significance of international collaboration in national development and advised the scholars to utilize all their energies to fully benefit from this opportunity. He emphasized the importance of networking and building productive contacts for the benefit of the country and the mankind. He advised the scholars proceeding abroad to act as ambassadors of Pakistan, feel proud of their religious and national identity, and pursue excellence in their respective domains.
The Chairman asserted that IRSIP scholars will become pioneers in various spheres in the future. He urged them to serve Pakistan with a renewed commitment after having the exposure under IRSIP. “I want you to serve our universities as we need qualified faculty to tap the talent of our youth," he emphasized. He said the Government of Pakistan has been following the vision of promoting the higher education sector so it may pay back to its full potential. He maintained that HEC is committed to ensuring transparency and merit in all of its programmes and initiatives.
He underscored that the Pakistani youth have a great potential and HEC leaves no stone unturned to give the youth the opportunities they deserve on merit. “This is in fact an investment in the future of this nation," he affirmed. “Pakistan deserves to be a prosperous country. Allah has blessed us with treasures. There is a need for harnessing the talent of our youth and exploiting the resources bestowed upon us. We are the best nation if we truly become a nation," he concluded.
In his remarks, Adviser Human Resource Development (HRD) Division Mr. Muhammad Raza Chohan highlighted the level of competition among the programme applicants and felicitated the selectees. He said HEC pins high expectations on the scholars winning the prestigious opportunity. He expressed hope that the IRSIP scholars will play their due part in the socio-economic development of Pakistan after they return. “We are very much obligated to receive a good input from you after your return," he stated. He concluded while reiterating HEC's commitment to continuing the IRSIP programme.
Member HEC IRSIP Committee Dr. Aslam Baig shared his insight into the outcomes of programmes like IRSIP. He expressed his pleasure over the celebration, calling the selected scholars lucky. “Be honest to yourself, your teachers and your nation," he advised the scholars. He underlined that the national money spent on the fellowship recipients is a trust that they have to honor and pay back in the form of their valued post-completion services. He urged the scholars to, “maintain your dignity and play the ambassadors of Pakistan abroad."
In his opening remarks earlier, Project Director (IRSIP) Mr. Jehanzeb Khan highlighted the vision and strategic importance of IRSIP. “Pakistani scholars have been benefiting from the programme for the past 21 years," he said. Informing the scholars of the selection process, he said that HEC availed itself of the services of experts in selection of scholars and ensured transparency. He mentioned that HEC received 674 applications for Batch 57, showing an increase from the 395 applications received in the previous batch. The selected scholars represent 53 universities of the country, he added.
IRSIP is intended for PhD scholars enrolled in full-time doctoral programmes in Pakistan and provides them with valuable international research exposure, which significantly enhances the quality of their research upon return. In addition to strengthening individual research capacity, IRSIP fosters academic linkages between Pakistani and foreign institutions, promoting collaborative research and global knowledge exchange.
Over the years, IRSIP has significantly contributed to improving the research quality of PhD programmes in Pakistan, facilitating access to advanced research facilities and supervision, and supporting scholars in publishing in high-impact journals. The programme has enabled scholars to publish in high-impact journals, refine their research techniques, and successfully complete their doctoral endeavours in the global research community.
