ISLAMABAD - Executive Director COMSATS, Dr. Imtinan Elahi Qureshi, while presiding over the inaugural function of a three-day conference on "Frontiers of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology" has cautioned that Pakistan is lagging behind in the ongoing global technology revolution based on nanoscience.
He was addressing the participants of the conference, which is being held at the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science & Technology (PINSTECH), Islamabad, from 3rd to 5th June 2014.
Dr. Qureshi appreciated the efforts of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of Pakistan, to prepare an umbrella PC-1 for strengthening nanoscience and nanotechnology research at its three subsidiary organizations, Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR), COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT), and National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST).
He noted that the establishment of a cell within the Ministry to coordinate research activities in the relevant areas through 20 laboratories of different universities and R&D organizations is a welcome step. However, there is a need to launch a National Nanotechnology Initiative, to help prepare the country for the onslaught of nano-applications having market potential of up to three trillion dollars by 2015.
Dr. Qureshi also informed the participants of the conference, about the role that is being played by the COMSATS Headquarters, Islamabad, and CIIT in organizing relevant symposia and workshops recently, where scientists from China, Malaysia, Germany and USA had visited Pakistan and shared their experience of research at the cutting edge nanotechnology.
At the close of the function, Dr. Qureshi presented the Director-General PINSTECH a book on advances in nanotechnology research in different developing countries based on the proceedings of international workshop on 'Nanotechnology in the Edge of Convergence', held in Selangor, Malaysia (24-27 November 2011), which was edited and published by COMSATS with the support of NAM-S&T Centre, India.