COMSTECH News & Announcements

Dr. Syeda Tanveer Kausar Naim
Former Chairperson, Pakistan Council for Science and Technology
UNESCO International Advisory Board (IAB)

Date and Time: 15^th January 2021; 03:00 pm Pakistan Standard Time;
02:00 pm Gulf Standard Time
10:00 am Greenwich Mean Time

Abstract of Talk: After a short introduction about the relationship between Science, Technology and Innovation, the National Innovation Systems and role of STI Policies will be discussed.  Since the innovation systems of countries comprise several individual systems centered on specific technologies, the relevance of STI capabilities and importance of public policy instruments required towards creating a friendly business climate will be discussed. The last few slides will describe the essential institutional architecture required for promotion of innovation in the member states of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). 

Target Audience: This webinar is open to academicians, scientists, and general public from all the member OIC states and beyond.

Profile of Speaker: Dr. Tanveer Kausar Naim obtained D.Phil from Sussex University, UK. She Served as Chairperson, Pakistan Council for Science and Technology and head STI Policy Research and Training Centre of the Secretariat of OIC Organization of Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH) in Islamabad. Her major responsibilities included STI Policy advice, training and promotion of higher education and research. She was actively involved in facilitating research collaboration between Pakistani scientists with their colleagues in USA, UK, South Korea and China and was instrumental in connecting Pakistani scientists with their USA counterparts through GlORID network. She served as member of UNESCO International Advisory Board (IAB) on reform of the Science, Technology and Innovation System In Nigeria, conducted Technology Audit for Turkey under EU 7th Framework Program.  She also provided STI review and advisory services to Maldives, Gambia, and Pakistan. She has served as member of Board of Trustees of International Network for Promotion of Scientific Publications (INASP) at Oxford and as member of the quality control board of MERID project which helped create awareness in the Middle East scientific community about Horizon 2020 and other programmes of EU.  During 2018 she served as senior consultant to UNESCO for preparation of STI profiles of 56 members state of Islamic Development Bank and to propose policy instruments for the Bank towards helping member states build their STI capacity.

Poster of webinar:  Attached

Link for registration and E- certificate:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSecyiKPqxRZkelStxnzfXqeWatbgkco-cSWRBKn8Sdyx0ej8w/viewform

Procedure to join:

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81116925163?pwd=djE0TGJwcUhKSVN1dkZmNWliSWdMZz09
Meeting ID: 811 1692 5163
Passcode: 547866

Address: COMSTECH Secretariat, 33-Constitution Avenue, G-5/2, Islamabad 
Phone No. : 92 51 9220681-3
Email: Khazima@comstech.org ; comstech@comstech.org

Speaker:   Prof. Dr. Khalid Saeed Khan

Distinguished Investigator (Beatriz Galindo programme) , University of Granada, Spain
Former Editor-in-Chief of British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Founder of  Core Outcomes in Women’s and Newborn Health (CROWN) award winning initiative

Date and Time: 21st  January 2021
10:00am- 11:30am Pakistan Standard Time

flyer

Biography

Khalid Saeed Khan is Distinguished Investigator (Beatriz Galindo programme) at University of Granada, Spain. With an h-index>70 he has published over 400 peer-reviewed papers and supervised 25 higher-degree theses. He graduated in medicine from the Aga Khan University in its first health faculty cohort. Higher training at McMaster University led him to an academic career, focusing on patient-oriented clinical research. Khalid has contributed to many trials and meta-analyses: has run 48 primary research trials, recruiting 979,242 participants, and has published 149 systematic reviews, collating data from 6415 studies with 68,798,079 participants. He is the lead author of ‘Systematic Reviews to Support Evidence-Based Medicine’, which won a BMA Medical Book award. He is former Editor of BJOG, EBM-BMJ and BMC Med Educ. His Core Outcomes in Women’s and Newborn Health (CROWN) initiative was awarded a BMA Strutt and Harper grant to help reduce research waste. According to the instruction, Lyrica 300 mg is intended for the treatment of certain diseases. An average dose is 150-600 mg per day. This drug should be withdrawn by gradually reducing the dose. Meanwhile, withdrawal of Lyrica can cause such reactions as sickness, depression, excessive sweating, chill and lack of appetite.

http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5084-7312

https://professorkhalidkhan.com

Registration:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc6-K9iZO7IkehjE2Q8R0DJDGzMigqiLYFpHWJhuP8ec3vbyQ/viewform

Join us in Person (for residents of Islamabad and Rawalpindi only)

COMSTECH Secretariat, 33-Constitution Avenue, G-5/2, Islamabad 

Or

Virtually join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85141644214?pwd=K2FKR05YT0ZOVDhSUlRKb0RiTS9tUT09
Meeting ID: 851 4164 4214
Passcode: 765808

Contact person:

Ms. Khazima Muazim
Programme Manager
COMSTECH Secretariat, Islamabad
E-mail: khazima@comstech.org

International Turkic Academy and COMSTECH sign MoU at COMSTECH Secretariat on December 23 to strengthen cooperation and collaboration for the promotion of science & technology in OIC member states.

On the occasion of MoU signing ceremony, President of the Int’l Turkic Academy, Dr. Darkhan Kydyrali, appreciated COMSTECH for holding Al-Farabi forum successfully.

Dr. Kydyrali said that our relations are not only limited to the relations between institutions, we have great relationship between nations. He assured that on his return he will meet with the president of Kazakhstan to share these activities with him. He said we have signed many MoUs with different institutions of Pakistan. He said that he strongly believes that COMSTECH will play a strong role for further enhancing the Pak-Kazak relations.

Coordinator General COMSTECH, Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary appreciated the organization of OIC Science Summit by Kazakhstan in 2017. He said that we will soon organize an international forum on Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal in collaboration with international Turkic Academy, Kazakhstan. Dr. Iqbal assured that we will be partner in these activities.

Both institutions have agreed to be engaged in various joint activities such as organizing forums on Al-Farabi, Allama Muhammad Iqbal, and Ulugh Beg Mirza and establishing Turkic Academy Library at COMSTECH and incorporating leading universities of Pakistan in the network of universities of International Turkic Academy.

The Turkic Academy was founded on 25 May 2010 at the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation in the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Islamabad, January 1, 2021: Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital, Rawalpindi and COMSTECH — OIC Ministerial Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation — Islamabad, signed an MoU to build capacity in ophthalmology and prevent blindness in OIC member states through providing training and conducting eye camps in different OIC member states.

The MoU ceremony held at COMSTECH headquarters and signed by Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary, Coordinator General, COMSTECH and Maj. Gen. Rehmat Khan (R), President, Al- Shifa Trust Eye Hospital, Rawalpindi. The Vice-Chancellor of the University of The Gambia, Prof. Dr. Faqir Muhammad Anjum and Mr. Mohammad Adeel, Assistant Director, Science Diplomacy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan were also present at the occasion.

According to the MoU, Pakistan Institute of Ophthalmology (PIO) the academic wing of Al- Shifa Trust Eye Hospital will impart training in ophthalmology, optometry and orthoptics, public health, ophthalmologists, ophthalmic technicians, bio-medical technicians, ophthalmic nurses and ophthalmic nursing assistants of OIC region.

Al-Shifa Trust eye hospital will offer observerships for 4-12 weeks and 1-year clinical fellowships to candidates from OIC countries in the subspecialties, such as cornea and refractive surgery, Vitreo-retina, Pediatric ophthalmology, Glaucoma and Orbit and Oculoplastic.

Al-Shifa center for community ophthalmology will carry out wide-spread outreach programs for the prevention of blindness in OIC member states. A delegation of highly qualified and experienced surgeons will be sent to the pre-selected OIC member states to undertake surgical camps for cataract as well as perform advanced surgical procedures for diseases such as Cornea, Glaucoma, Obits and Oculoplastic, Vitreo-retina, Pediatric eye disorders and, Ocular oncology.

Eye camps in Kampala, (Uganda) Niamy, (Niger) and Serrekunda, (Gambia) will be organized this year.

Special emphasis will be given to carry out research in areas of Ocular Epidemiological Studies, Ocular Imaging, Ocular Genetics, Data Analytics, Cytokines and Biomarkers for Ocular Pathologies, Clinical Trials, Clinical Studies and Ocular Therapeutics.

COMSTECH would provide Al-Shifa Trust support, cooperation, and collaboration for all activities planned and organized in OIC member states.

Mr. Ehsan Masood

Nature’s Editor for Editorials
2017/2018- Knight Science Journalism Fellow- Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Date and Time: 6^th January 2021; 03:00 pm Pakistan Standard Time; 02:00 pm Gulf Standard Time: 10:00 am Greenwich Mean Time

Blurb: The COVID-19 pandemic has propelled science communication from a relatively niche field into a mainstream topic. Researchers in all countries are at the heart of providing their peers, the public and policymakers with reliable information on a virus and a disease that has killed more than 1.7 million people. Citizens scroll incessantly to receive updates on case numbers. Journals are working overtime to publish, and regulators have green-lighted vaccines in record time. Ehsan Masood, an editor with the journal Nature in London, reflects on a year that has been unlike any other in his 25-year career in science communication. 

Target Audience: This webinar is open to academicians, scientists, and general public from all the member OIC states and beyond.

Profile of Speaker: Ehsan Masood is a science journalist. He is presently Nature’s Editor for Editorials and also has responsibility for the journal’s news coverage from Africa and the Middle East. He is the author of a a number of books including The Great Invention, a narrative history of how GDP became the world’s most influential economic indicator (Pegasus, 2016) and Science and Islam: A History (Second edition, Icon, 2017). He has also made documentaries on science and policy for BBC Radio 4 and was a 2017/2018 Knight Science Journalism Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Between 2007 and 2017 he taught science and innovation policy to students of science communication at Imperial College London. 

Poster of webinar:  Attached

Link for registration and E- certificate:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScI7xKuLCBEbzl-7WYrsaT_yMxOqmMvZtc5sBlhz_Bz1TwV6Q/viewform

Procedure to join:

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83678220335?pwd=QVNRMnprOE05ZnlOd0RHSldCNy80Zz09

Meeting ID: 836 7822 0335

Passcode: 960781

Address: COMSTECH Secretariat, 33-Constitution Avenue, G-5/2, Islamabad 
Phone No. : 92 51 9220681-3
Email: Khazima@comstech.org ; comstech@comstech.org

February 16-17, 2021

Organized by

COMSTECH, Secretariat, Islamabad In collaboration with International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) and Pakistan Biotechnology Information Center (Karachi Chapter)

Who Should Attend:

The workshop is designed to address the interest of scientists and research scholars working in various fields of plant biotechnology including genetics, and molecular biology.

Course Content:

The course will be comprises of series of lectures and “online hands on training sessions” covering following contents:

• Overview of Plant Tissue Culture and its Applications
• Equipment and Media used
• Explant Selection
• Sterilization
• Initiation, Multiplication, Shooting and Rooting

Registration:

Registered participants will receive e-certificates

Please register at following link before February 1, 2020

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeovmmpAzzwPZNQj45KqmF_6UtN4d544QyPOFuuw0PvB0Ohkg/viewform

Venue:

Time: Feb 16, 2021, 12:00 Noon Islamabad, Karachi, Tashkent

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85102004262?pwd=NWRBMDZIUTdlUEtSQUFaZkNYMXZVdz09
Meeting ID: 851 0200 4262
Passcode: 208783

Time: Feb. 17, 2021 12:00 Noon Islamabad, Karachi, Tashkent

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88399839097?pwd=K3kwazhwWkN4aDN5MER2enl6ZDZ4dz09
Meeting ID: 883 9983 9097
Passcode: 881692

WORKSHOP PROGRAM (Pakistan Standard Time)

Day One (16 Feb., 2021)

12:00-12:05     Inauguration Ceremony

12:05-12:10     Recitation of the Holy Quran

12:10-12:20     Welcome Address by Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary

12:20-13:00     Lecture 1 entitled, “Importance of Tissue Culture Techniques for the   Sustainable Development of Muslim World”

13:30-14:30   Practical Session (Tissue culture of Horticulture Crops)

Day Two (17 Feb., 2021)

12:00-12:35     Lecture 1 entitled, “Basic Tissue Culture Techniques and Their Applications”

12:40-13:10     Lecture 2 entitled, “Ethics and Biosafety in Plant Biotechnology”

13:10-14:10     Practical Session 2 (Tissue culture of Cash Crops (rice))         

14:15-14:35     Closing Ceremony

Speakers:

Prof. Dr. Behzad Ghareyazie
President, Biosafety Society of Iran.
Executive Director, Iran Biotechnology Information Center (IRBIC) Iran

Prof. Dr. Saifullah Khan
University of Karachi, Pakistan

Prof. Dr. Naagla Abdalla
Head Dept. of Genentics
Faculty of Agriculutre, Cairo University, Egypt

CONTACT PERSON

Khazima Muazim
Programme Manager
COMSTECH Secretariat, Islamabad
Tel: +92-51-9220681-3
Fax: +92-51-9205264, +92-51-9220265
Email: khazima@comstech.org

Organized by:

COMSTECH Secretariat, Islamabad in Collaboration with the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) Karachi, Pakistan

January 11-12, 2021

Molecular biology is an important area of interest for scientists working in various disciplines including structural biology, genetics, biochemistry, and biotechnology etc. Molecular biology plays important roles in understanding formations, actions, and regulations of various parts of cells which can be used to efficiently targets new drugs, diagnose diseases, and understand the physiology of the cell. This two-day online certificate course comprised of lectures followed by training sessions on “Basic concepts and techniques in molecular biology”. The course is designed to teach the basic skills of molecular biology to participants from all scientific disciplines those have little or no previous experience in molecular biology hands on work. It is also an ideal course for those who would like to consolidate their current, basic skill level and to further polish their handling skills.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

The course is designed for the large group of audience including graduate students, scientists, research scholars, and medical doctors those have interest to work at molecular level in related fields of molecular biology. People from variety of disciplines and academic backgrounds including Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Genetics, and Biotechnology can get benefit from this workshop.

WORKSHOP CONTENT

The program includes a series of online lectures and hands-on sessions on the following topics;

Basic Cloning Requirements

Polymerase Chain Reaction

Agarose Gel Electrophoresis

Extraction of DNA from Agarose Gel

Cloning and Expression Vectors

Preparation and Purification of Plasmid DNA

Restriction Digestion

Ligation

Transformation in Bacterial Cells

Expression and Purification

VENUE

Time: Jan 11, 2021, 12:00 PM Islamabad, Karachi, Tashkent

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82538415428?pwd=Nld0TGJaUlNyRWZ4V3gyTGhvODdYQT09

Meeting ID: 825 3841 5428

Passcode: 317300

Time: Jan 12, 2021 10:00 AM Islamabad, Karachi, Tashkent

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89263556753?pwd=UTd0RlJaODlEN1dvWGx4VUVwNXYxUT09

Meeting ID: 892 6355 6753

Passcode: 639724

WORKSHOP PROGRAM (Pakistan Standard Time)

Day One

12:00-12:05     Inauguration Ceremony

12:05-12:10     Recitation of the Holy Quran

12:10-12:20     Welcome Address by Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary

12:20-13:30     Lecture 1 entitled, “General Molecular Biology Lab Techniques: Cloning, Restriction Digestion, Ligation, Transformation”

13:30-14:30   Practical Session (Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Agarose Gel Electrophoresis, DNA Extraction)

Day Two

10:00-12:00     Practical Session 2 (Plasmid Prep, Restriction Digestion, Ligation, Transformation)

11:00-12:00     Practical Session 3 (Protein Expression)

12:00-12:15     Closing Ceremony

REGISTRATION PROCESS

Register at: https://forms.gle/8L1dGf5mMfzsPpA97 . Kindly fill the form and submit it before 8^th January, 2021. Registered participants will receive e-certificates.

CONTACT PERSON

Khazima Muazim
Programme Manager
COMSTECH Secretariat, Islamabad
Tel: +92-51-9220681-3
Fax: +92-51-9205264, +92-51-9220265
Email: khazima@comstech.org

H.E. Mr. Mohammed Motahar Al Ashabi, Ambassador of the Republic of Yemen in Pakistan paid a visit to COMSTECH on December 18, 2020. He met with Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary, Coordinator General, COMSTECH and discussed programmes and new initiatives of COMSTECH.

The Coordinator General gave him a detailed briefing on COMSTECH achievements and current programmes and future plans. Prof. Iqbal also shared with him the contribution of COMSTECH programmes made to Yemen.

Coordinator General informed him about the new initiative of COMSTECH Consortium of Excellence comprise of leading institutions of Pakistan and OIC countries and invited Yemeni students to benefit from the research excellence through visits.

H.E. Mr. Mohammed Motahar Al Ashabi lauded COMSTECH efforts, its contribution to the OIC member states for scientific and technological uplift and appreciated the current programmes and the vision.

The dignitaries also explored the avenues of bilateral joint initiatives for the development of socio-economic conditions in the OIC member states.

During the meeting the Ambassador of Yemen presented the souvenir of honor to Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary and the Coordinator General COMSTECH presented the shield of memento to his excellency.