HEC Announces PhD Scholarships Under US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has announced scholarships opportunities of Fall-2020 for PhD studies in top-ranked US Universities under US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor Project

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Jan, 2020 ) :The Higher education Commission (HEC) has announced scholarships opportunities of Fall-2020 for PhD studies in top-ranked US Universities under US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor Project.

The HEC has invited applications from Pakistani, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) nationals intending to pursue PhD in the following priority but not limited to, fields: Arts and Humanities, Design and Media, Social Sciences, Engineering, Basic Sciences, Medical and Allied Health Sciences, Agriculture, Veterinary Science, Computer Sciences, Emerging Technologies, Water Resources and Energy.

According to the sources on Thursday, the scholarships will cover living stipend, health insurance, settlement allowance and airfare.

"This is zero tuition Model. Hence, the applicants need to secure admission along with tuition waiver from the ranked US universities, land grant universities or university systems mentioned on the HEC website", they added.

HEC, they said, has negotiated tuition fee waivers for Pakistani/AJK nationals with different ranked/land grant US Universities.

The project management unit may refer potential candidates who meet the basic eligibility criteria for award of HEC scholarships-to pertaining US universities for consideration of admission and award of tuition fee waiver, the sources maintained.

They said that the applicants selected by the host university, after satisfying respective admission requirements/criteria, shall be offered HEC scholarships under "US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor" Project in line with the HEC policy.

The last date for applying in the admission was February 20, 2020.

They said that under the project as many as 10,000 scholars will be sent to the US Ranked Universities till 2024 with the effort of the Government of Pakistan to train its faculty resources in identified subject areas.

They informed that with the start of scheme so far only 90 students have been selected by the US Universities. All those students who will meet the desire criteria by the US Universities would be provided the scholarships opportunity.

It is worth mentioning here that in June 2015 the United States and Pakistan established an Education, Science and Technology Working Group (ESTWG) under the Bilateral Strategic Dialogue.

During the official visit of the Prime Minister of Pakistan to meet with then US President and other US officials in 2015 the two sides discussed the proposal to establish US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor.

Both dignitaries directed their respective governments to intensify their cooperation in this important framework to achieve the ambitious priority targets of developing high level human capital in Pakistan.

During second meeting held in February 2016 in Washington DC to develop a joint action plan for operationalizing the US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor and its salient elements.

In general US agreed to support Pakistan's efforts to strengthen its University system by jointly increasing the number of Pakistani faculty who obtain their Ph.D. in the US universities.