Islamabad (Staff Report): The Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan and the Embassy of France held its bilateral committee meeting at the Commission Secretariat here on Monday.  The meeting reviewed proposals submitted for the award of research grants under the Pak-France PERIDOT Phase IV.

PERIDOT is the Franco-Pakistani Hubert Curien Partnership (PHC) executed in Pakistan by HEC and in France by Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation. The objective of this programme is to develop new scientific and technological cooperation between French and Pakistani higher education institutions and research laboratories by supporting mobility of researchers. Under the programme, projects are approved for funding for three years in five priority areas including Energy, Health, Human and Social Sciences, Climate Change, and Information Technology for Peace and Conflict Resolution.

The meeting was chaired by Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman HEC along with Mr. Marc Baréty, Ambassador of France to Pakistan. Dr. Arshad Ali, Executive Director HEC, Dr. Muhammad Latif, Advisor R&D, HEC, Ms. Noshaba Awais, Director R&D, HEC, Mr. André de Bussy, Counsellor for Culture and Cooperation, French Embassy, and Mr. Matthieu Gaulon, Attaché for Science and Technology, French Embassy were also among the participants of meeting.

After thorough deliberation, the committee scrutinised a number of proposals received under PERIDOT Phase IV. The results of the award winners would be announced in due course.