Peshawar: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan recently held an orientation session titled “Importance of Establishing an ORIC and Measures to Enhance ORIC Performance and Ranking” at the HEC Regional Centre in Peshawar, aiming to improve the performance of Offices of Research, Innovation and Commercialisation (ORICs) in universities across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

According to Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, the event gathered representatives from both public and private higher education institutions, including directors of ORICs and Quality Enhancement Cells, alongside other university officials. Deputy Director of HEC Regional Centre, Mr. Shaif Ur Rahman, emphasized the crucial role ORICs play in bolstering the research ecosystem within universities, fostering innovation, and facilitating industry collaboration.

The technical session was led by Mr. Ahmad Gulzar Kiyani, Assistant Director of the Research and Innovation Division at HEC. He elaborated on the strategic significance of ORICs, offering insights into the HEC ORIC Policy 2021 and the ORIC recognition framework. The session underlined ORICs’ responsibilities in research management, intellectual property facilitation, and supporting institutional growth.

Participants were also briefed on strategies to enhance ORIC rankings under the HEC’s ORIC Scorecard framework, focusing on performance indicators like research productivity and commercialization outcomes. The session served as a platform for university representatives to discuss challenges and share best practices in enhancing research management and innovation ecosystems.

This initiative is part of HEC’s ongoing efforts to reinforce research and innovation capacities in higher education institutions, aiming to develop robust ORICs that can drive research excellence and meaningful industry engagement.