Events

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Registration link: Click Here

A Collaboration between OIC Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (OIC-COMSTECH) and Universiti Putra Malaysia, under the COMSTECH Distinguished Scholars Program

Date: 13-17 July, 2026
Venue: Faculty of Design and Architecture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia

Instructor:
Professor Ts. Dr. Rahinah Ibrahim, FTWAS, FASc, FIVMM
COMSTECH Distinguished Scholar
Faculty of Design and Architecture, Universiti Putra Malaysia,
43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, MALAYSIA
Email: rahinah@upm.edu.my

About the EAGLE Program:
EAGLE stands for Excellence Accelerator for Grounded Learning Environment. It is a structured academic support framework designed to help postgraduate students complete their research. By understanding their cultural and language behaviors, PhD students can be more efficient and independent to manage their PhD journey.
The EAGLE techniques and tools were developed from the founder’s first-hand experience overcoming significant challenges during her PhD at Stanford University, combined with over two decades of supervising as well as teaching research methodology at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). These techniques have been successfully applied to numerous postgraduate students, including supervised graduates and external postgraduate researchers.
Unlike conventional approaches that are method-centric or language-focused, EAGLE adopts a theory-centric and content-driven approach. It prioritizes strong theoretical grounding and
logical argumentation before technical writing or methodological detail.

Through EAGLE, participants learn to:

• Identify missing or weak components in their thesis;
• How to relate theory to develop research methodology;
• How to link data to theory;
• How to align results with theory;
• Reduce writing time through content restructuring;
• Identify whether thesis has potential to create intellectual property (IP) asset; and
• Develop confidence as independent scholarly researchers

Overall, the EAGLE framework accelerates postgraduate progress by strengthening critical thinking, clarifying structural impacts, and improving academic independence—key factors for timely and high-quality research completion.

About the Lead Trainer:
Professor Dr. Rahinah Ibrahim is an entrepreneurial design scientist who strives working with transdisciplinary peers especially when Arts and Humanities merge with S&T to produce an invention appropriate to serve vulnerable communities. Trained by Stanford Research Institute and Oxford University Innovations in innovations and entrepreneurship and permitted to become Co-Founder of Grounded Learning (M) Sdn. Bhd. —a startup company under UPM’s Innohub—to commercialize the EAGLE Program. Prof. Rahinah
believes that having innovation and entrepreneurship knowledge during R&D phase would improve an invention’s market acceptance later. Moreover, applying proven R&D outputs in classrooms would allow students to jump start their life-long learning before a product even hits the market. She is a strong advocate for Social Sciences and Arts & Humanities to make STEAM impacts to the world. She has graduated 33 Master/PhD students and is Principal Inventor for 23 intellectual properties (IP).

Program Synopsis:
The PhD Finishing Program is an intensive, structured academic workshop designed to enable PhD candidates to consolidate, rescue, and reinforce their research work from Chapter 1 through to Chapter 6 of their thesis.
The program focuses on diagnosing weaknesses in participants’ existing research progress and systematically rebuilding a strong, defensible research foundation. Through guided lectures, applied in-class work, participants are led through a process of alignment between research questions, theoretical framing, methodology, and data.
This program is especially designed for candidates who have already started their PhD but are experiencing difficulty in progressing, maintaining coherence, or completing their thesis within the expected timeframe.

By the end of the program, participants will produce:

• A working thesis draft covering Chapter 1 to Chapter 5 or 6, depending on their current research stage
• A clear research overview of their thesis
• An improved thesis structure ready for supervisor review
• A revised and defensible thesis

Objectives:

• Diagnose and evaluate each participant’s current PhD research progress
• Identify conceptual, theoretical, and methodological gaps in the thesis
• Reinforce the coherence between research questions, theory, and methods
• Guide participants in restructuring and strengthening their thesis chapters
• Enable participants to produce a working thesis draft by the end of the program depending on their current PhD progress

Program Format s Schedule:
Mode: Physical, face-to-face, participants remain on-site
Duration: 5 days (9am-5pm)
Schedule: Click here to download

Target Participants:

• This program is designed for:
• PhD candidates who have already started their PhD
• Candidates who have begun proposal writing, data collection, or analysis
• Candidates who are stucked, delayed, or uncertain about the quality and coherence of their thesis
  
  Prerequisite:
• PhD candidates who have already started their PhD studies.
• Have at least a draft research proposal, or draft chapters, or data collected, or ongoing thesis work.
• From an OIC Member State currently residing in Malaysia.

Registration:
For registration, please fill out the following form along with required documents: https://form.jotform.com/261059258880465
Note:
Please note that this a physical on-site training, for limited candidates from OIC Member States currently resident in Malaysia. The selected candidates will have to cover their own travel and accommodation (if from outside the city).
This program is especially designed for candidates who have already started their PhD but are experiencing difficulty in progressing, maintaining coherence, or completing their thesis within the expected timeframe.

Queries
For any queries, please contact at: haseeb.ahmad@comstech.org

 “Unlocking the Future of Healthcare & Life Sciences with Artificial Intelligence”

Guest Speaker
Prof. Dr. Yuzong Chen
Deputy Director, State Key Lab of Chemical Oncogenomic
Ningbo University, China

Technical Facilitator/ Speaker
Prof. Dr. Wang Likun
Ningbo University, China

Organized by:

Science, Technology and Innovation Center (STIC), COMSTECH

Workshop Details:

This certified course is designed for senior researchers, clinicians, data scientists, and academic faculty from the fields of Biotechnology, Bioinformatics, Computer Science, Pharmacy, and Life Sciences who are eager to integrate AI into biomedical applications. The program aims to equip participants with practical skills and hands-on experience in applying Artificial Intelligence to solve real-world challenges in healthcare and biomedical research especially in resource-constrained settings. Attendees will also gain insights into establishing and sustaining AI-driven biomedical research initiatives within their institutions.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this course, the participants will:

• Understand the foundational principles and practical applications of AI in biomedicine and healthcare.
• Apply AI tools and techniques in data analysis, diagnostics, and research within resource-constrained environments.
• Identify their own training needs to enhance AI integration in biomedical and clinical research.
• Outline key requirements for establishing AI-powered biomedical research or clinical research centers in their institutions.

Target Audience:

• Senior Healthcare Professionals and Researchers
• Faculty Members and Academic Leaders in Life Sciences, Computer Science, and Biomedical Fields
• Healthcare Administrators and Policy Makers
• Government Officials involved in S&T, Health, and Education sectors
• Data Scientists and AI Enthusiasts working in biomedical research

Course Module:

• Poster of Certified Course:  Attached

• Date: 23^rd – 31^st July-2025
  Session 2: 11^th August – 15^th August 2025 (Excluding 14^th August 2025; Public holiday in Pakistan)
  Session 3: 18^th – 22^nd August 2025
  Session 4: 25^th – 27^th August 2025

• Timing: 1:30PM (Pakistan Standard Time)

• Procedure to join: In-Person- Online

• Registration link: Click Here

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

Registration Link: Click Here

OIC-COMSTECH in collaboration with National Centre for Physics (NCP) is jointly organizing a 5-day “International Hands-on Training Workshop” in advanced analytical instrumentation, scheduled to take place from 29 June to 3 July, 2026, at the NCP campus in Islamabad, this workshop is designed to provide intensive practical training on cutting-edge analytical equipment. Participants will gain hands-on experience with techniques including X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Powder XRD, Electrochemical Workstations, EDX Mapping, and FESEM with STEM mode. The workshop is open to junior faculty and researchers currently pursuing their MS or Ph.D. in the Natural and Biological Sciences. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply by the deadline of 28 June, 2026. Selected outstation participants will be provided with partial travel assistance, accommodation, and meals during the workshop. For further details regarding eligibility and application submission.

Contact Information: 

Tufail Dawar
Program Officer
Email: mtofil@comstech.org
Phone: +923439140306

Background

Advances in machine learning and genome data analysis are transforming the way infectious diseases are detected, monitored, and studied. To support researchers and young scientists in OIC Member States, OIC-COMSTECH is organizing a specialized training workshop to enhance skills in computational approaches for infectious disease research and public health applications.

Objectives

• Strengthen participants’ knowledge of machine learning applications in life sciences.
• Build capacity in genome data analysis and bioinformatics tools.
• Enhance understanding of data-driven approaches for infectious disease surveillance and research.
• Promote scientific collaboration and knowledge exchange among researchers.

Target Audience

Researchers, university faculty, postgraduate students, laboratory scientists, bioinformaticians, and professionals working in genomics, computational biology, public health, and infectious disease research.

Event Details

Format: In-Person Training Workshop

Guinea: 22-23 June 2026
Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology (FAST), University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin

Benin: 25-26 June 2026
IRBAG, Conakry, Guinea

The workshop will be facilitated by leading experts from Pakistan with extensive experience in machine learning, bioinformatics, genomics, and infectious disease research.

For more information:

Dr. Gautier Roko (Senior Program Manager, OIC-COMSTECH),  gautier.roko@comstech.org

Date: July 23-25, 2025
Venue: ACE-Bamako, Mali

Registration Link: Click Here

Date : From June 16 to 18, 2025

Venue : Institute of Food Technology (ITA), Hann Maristes – Dakar, Senegal

Flyer: Click Here

1. Context

In 1981, the OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) decided to establish COMSTECH (Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation), with the primary mission of promoting scientific and technological cooperation among OIc member states. This dynamic cooperation aims to create critical masses of human resources in science and technology to better address social demands in all their diversity and complexity, thereby fostering inclusive and sustainable socio-economic and industrial development. It also involves ensuring scientific and technological vigilance to adopt global advancements while respecting ethical, bioethical, and biosecurity rules.

To achieve its objectives, COMSTECH has implemented numerous projects and programs, including:

• Training, particularly for youth and women, through the provision of scholarships in cutting-edge scientific research and emerging technologies,
• Developing complementary and interdisciplinary collective skills in priority areas identified by member countries,
• Facilitating researcher mobility to leverage the comparative advantages of host countries,
• Enhancing the scientific research and technological innovation capacities of member countries.

The regional center AGRHYMET, a specialized institution of CILSS (Permanent Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel), is mandated to inform and train countries in areas such as food security, natural resource management, combating desertification and climate change, water management, and market access. AGRHYMET CCR-AOS maintains a regional database with over 50 years of climate and impact data. As part of its environmental monitoring, AGRHYMET CCR-AOS has documented, in an updated ATLAS every five years, the evolution of West African landscapes from 1975 to 2023, providing a detailed description of changes in land use classes. AGRHYMET CCR-AOS also hosts graduate programs at the Master’s, engineering, and technical levels.

The Senegal Directorate of Environment, under the Ministry of the Environment and Ecological Transition, is responsible for implementing state policies on environmental and forest resource management; developing rules for environmental protection and pollution, natural risk, and disaster prevention; ensuring compliance with international environmental conventions and national environmental laws; and integrating environmental concerns into sectoral policies and national development strategies.

Thus, to inform and raise awareness about the opportunities available to member countries and to facilitate expert discussions on the role of emerging technologies in strengthening ecosystem and community resilience, COMSTECH is organizing this workshop in partnership with AGRHYMET and the Senegal Directorate of Environment with the technical support of Senegal Institute for Agricultural Research and Ecological Monitoring Center.

This workshop aligns with the “One Health” principle, an integrated and inclusive approach to improving the health of populations, animals, and ecosystems sustainably.

Recent data estimates that over 700 million people suffer from hunger worldwide, including nearly 170 million in sub-Saharan Africa (UN, 2023). To achieve SDG 2 “Zero Hunger” by 2030, the main challenges for agriculture include: (i) producing enough to feed a growing population, (ii) ensuring food safety, and (iii) reducing the environmental impact of agriculture while remaining competitive. To address these challenges, farmers need increasingly predictive tools for monitoring, treatment, and production, such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Beyond production-boosting technologies, others like blockchain ensure traceability and transparency throughout the food supply chain by securely recording data on the origin, quality, safety, and sustainability of agricultural products. This technology can enhance consumer trust, combat food fraud, and improve food recall management in case of contamination.

Globally, pastoralism, a traditional extensive livestock system, is practiced by over 200 million herders (FAO, 2018), playing a significant socio-economic and environmental role. To enhance pastoral system performance, digital tools are increasingly used for herd management, animal health, and marketing. Digital technologies in pastoralism can:

• Revitalize herding professions by developing devices tailored to pastoral practices,
• Generate new references through sensors and data collection tools,
• Foster knowledge exchange among pastoral stakeholders via collaborative platforms.

With the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI), it is easier to identify animals, interpret behaviors, and monitor livestock health using remote surveillance and decision-support systems. Additionally, drones and machine learning enable precise pasture monitoring, improving productivity and sustainability.

Human activities are responsible for the deforestation of 10 million hectares annually (FAO, 2020), with agriculture alone accounting for 73% of forest degradation. Restoring and conserving forest and agroforestry ecosystems requires advanced technologies. Combining AI and Earth observation technologies (satellite imagery, ground sensors, etc.) can enhance forest monitoring and management. AI, IoT, and drones can:

• Rapidly and accurately analyze vast areas for diagnostics,
• Provide cost-effective and regular monitoring,
• Predict and reduce environmental risks,
• Create digital twins for ecosystem restoration projects, simulating forest growth and tracking ecological indicators like canopy height, carbon storage, and biodiversity.

The COMSTECH workshop will enable the Ministry of Environment to learn about COMSTECH’s training programs, particularly those on innovative environmental monitoring technologies. The tools shared during the workshop will serve as awareness-raising resources for field agents.

Given COMSTECH’s ambitions to leverage science and technological innovation for inclusive and sustainable growth in the Islamic world, and the opportunities offered by emerging technologies, this workshop will serve as a platform for high-level expert exchanges.

2. Objectives

The workshop has two main objectives:

• Widely disseminate the mechanisms established by COMSTECH to promote science and technological innovation in OIC member countries,
• Review the state-of-the-art emerging technologies used or applicable in ecosystem preservation strategies in Africa, particularly West Africa.

3. Deliverables

• Review all training and researcher mobility opportunities, especially for youth and women,
• Propose solutions to better address youth training needs in COMSTECH programs,
• Share country experiences on emerging technologies for ecosystem protection,
• List constraints related to accessing and disseminating advanced technologies,
• Formulate concrete proposals to address challenges hindering the adoption and scaling of advanced technologies for ecosystem protection,
• Establish an expert network to better target priority areas for COMSTECH programs.

4. Workshop Format

The workshop will be facilitated by an expert moderating the sessions. The first part will focus on COMSTECH’s training and scholarship programs. The second part will showcase country experiences in using emerging technologies to strengthen ecosystem resilience to climate change. The third part will discuss mechanisms to expand and amplify COMSTECH programs in West Africa.

5. Participating Countries

In addition to the host country,  West African countries will be represented by high-level expert.

Contacts :

 Dr. Ismaila Diallo, Regional Advisor for OIC-Africa
ismaila.d@comstech.org

Ms. Tayyaba Awan, Sr. Consultant (Partnerships and Cooperation)
tayyaba.awan@comstech.org

Mr. Renaud Makaka, Sr. Technical Manager, COMSTECH
renaudmakaka@comstech.org