Islamabad: Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan Dr. Niaz Ahmad Akhtar has highlighted the strategic importance of National Centres in promoting research, innovation, and technological development across the nation.

According to Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, in an introductory meeting with Project Director National Centre in Big Data & Cloud Computing (NCBC) Dr. Naveed Arshad, Dr. Akhtar encouraged the centre and its partner laboratories to actively promote their research outputs and innovative products through online platforms. He reiterated HEC’s commitment to backing these centers, offering the NCBC access to HEC’s digital and social media channels for the dissemination of their research successes and contributions.

The meeting involved a comprehensive review of the centre’s research activities and significant achievements, alongside a strategic presentation by the centre on addressing commercialization challenges via a dedicated Business Development Unit. Dr. Akhtar acknowledged the centre’s valuable contributions, particularly its support to the Government of Sindh in the health sector, emphasizing the strategic national importance of such centers in advancing research and innovation.

Dr. Akhtar further stressed the importance of strengthening researcher networking across affiliated labs and enhancing researcher profiles through a centralized portal to foster collaboration and outreach.