Past Events

Dr. Abdolreza Simchi
Distinguished Professor in Engineering Science and Materials Engineering
Sharif University of Technology

Date: 5 November 2021 
Time: 03:00 pm Pakistan Standard Time

flyer Click Here

Our Program: COMSTECH is organizing a lecture series on “Emerging Technologies for Science and Technology”. This series is an effort to help upcoming scientists in identifying key areas of scientific research, which will contribute immensely in the well-being of the humankind. These lectures will be delivered by prominent figures in the world of science. Areas like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Stem cell research, Nanotechnology and Modern Agriculture are part of this lecture series.

Emerging technologies are the technical innovations that provide huge advantage in many aspects. Emerging technology can improve people’s lives in many ways. Technological advancements can help people complete tasks more efficiently, keep them safer and healthier and protect the environment. Emerging technologies are still unrealized, the purpose here is to recognize the technological advancement in field of science and technology and their huge dramatic effect and apply them for the socio-economic well- being of residents of OIC member states.

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

Please find attached:

• Graphical Abstract &  speaker’s profile

Register with us to attend this meeting:

Register at : https://forms.gle/doQoBhBFkGtykTkM7

Contact us for further details: Khazima@comstech.org;  comstech@comstech.org

Prof. Dr. Irshad Hussain
Professor, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)
Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC)

Date: 18 November 2021 
Time: 03:00 pm Pakistan Standard Time

Flyer Click Here

Our Program: COMSTECH is organizing a lecture series on “Emerging Technologies for Science and Technology”. This series is an effort to help upcoming scientists in identifying key areas of scientific research, which will contribute immensely in the well-being of the humankind. These lectures will be delivered by prominent figures in the world of science. Areas like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Stem cell research, Nanotechnology and Modern Agriculture are part of this lecture series.

Emerging technologies are the technical innovations that provide huge advantage in many aspects. Emerging technology can improve people’s lives in many ways. Technological advancements can help people complete tasks more efficiently, keep them safer and healthier and protect the environment. Emerging technologies are still unrealized, the purpose here is to recognize the technological advancement in field of science and technology and their huge dramatic effect and apply them for the socio-economic well- being of residents of OIC member states.

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

Please find attached:

• Graphical Abstract
• The speaker’s profile

Register with us to attend this meeting:

Register at : https://forms.gle/WBJrHKUekrQQr1fg8

Contact us for further details: Khazima@comstech.org;  comstech@comstech.org

Date & Time: 10^th November, 2021 From 15:00-17:30 (Pakistan Standard Time)
Venue: COMSTECH Secretariat, Islamabad

Flyer Click Here

Overview

The World Science Day for Peace and Development, celebrated every year on 10^th November, was established by UNESCO in 2001, to highlight the important role of science in society and the need to engage the wider public in debates on emerging and important contemporary issues relevant to science. The theme of this year is ‘Building Climate Resilient Communities” with emphasis on global climate change challenges.

Celebration of the World Science Day, 2021 provides a perfect opportunity to mobilize the scientific community to bring science closer to society and bolster the international community to promote science for, and with society. Furthermore, it provides a platform to share good practices and provide guidance to improve the interlinkages between science and society to resolve global challenges.

Key Areas

COMSTECH is organizing an event on Wednesday, November 10, 2021 to celebrate this year’s World Science Day for Peace and Development.

Distinguish experts and speakers will present talks on key areas including but not limited to:

• Impacts of climate change and extreme weather
• Building climate resilience and reducing disaster risk
• Climate change adaptation and mitigation
• The role of science for society and the future of science;
• Improving dialogue among scientists, government, and citizens;
• Enhancing national capacities for evidence-based policymaking;
• Strengthening international scientific cooperation.

Venue:

The event is being organized at COMSTECH Secretariat, Islamabad (Auditorium) on Wednesday, November 10, 2021. (Program Schedule attached)
Accommodation at COMSTECH Guest house will NOT be provided for this event.

Target Audience

The event is open to students, researchers, scientists, academicians, policy makers, government officials, think tanks and anyone relevant to the field of environmental sciences. 

Registration

Please visit the following link for registration: https://forms.gle/x33BdH6rNvHa4gkh8

Event coordinators

Muhammad Haris Akram
Program Manager
COMSTECH, Islamabad.
Email: haris@comstech.org
Phone: +92 51 9220681

Muhammad Haseeb Ahmad
Program Officer
COMSTECH, Islamabad.
Email: Haseeb.ahmad@comstech.org
Phone: +92 51 9220681

Tentative Programme Schedule

January 19 – 20, 2022
Venue: COMSTECH Secretariat, Islamabad-Pakistan
Deadline for Applications: January 07, 2022

Introduction

Digital technologies have advanced more rapidly than any other innovation human history. Since the invention of machines, the capability to perform various tasks grew exponentially. Humans have developed the powerful computer systems in terms of their diverse working domains, their increasing speed, and their time efficiencies. Nowadays, human lives are becoming increasingly reliant on the innovative technologies and digital based technological fields have become the inevitable.

In order to communicate more effectively and securely we need to focus on digital edge. ICT innovation and up-scaling are keys to ensuring business continuity, maintaining customer access to benefits and services, handle the growing demand, and to implement new projects. In the health sector, for instance, AI-enabled frontier technologies are helping to save lives, diagnose diseases, and extend life expectancy. In education, virtual learning environments and distance learning have opened up programmes to students who would otherwise be excluded. Public services are also becoming more accessible through block chain systems. Several discussions show the expansion of digital services in order to alleviate the impact of pandemic on the economy, using ICTs in pandemic exemplifies both the limitations of, and opportunities for ICT use.

Objective

The Islamic world is vast and diverse, comprising of many developing and developed countries, which are still in need of skills and knowledge in scientific research and digital technologies.

The transition towards digital technologies will determine the future path for developing countries to cope up with the global pace in the field of information technology. In this scenario, researchers, scientists, and experts from OIC countries, working in all fields of digital technologies have to indulge themselves in applied research to compete with the global leaders in digital technologies.

COMSTECH international symposium entitled “Digital Technologies for the Future World” will provide platform for participants to learn from global future digital technology trends, scientific breakthroughs in the cutting-edge fields of digital world, etc. Realizing the importance of digital transition for OIC countries, a two-day mega program has been planned in January 2022.

Target Audience:

Scientists, researchers, academicians, graduate students, think tanks, and industry experts from the OIC countries are encouraged to participate.

Key Contents:

The workshop will cover the following thematic areas:

• Future Technology Trends
• Educational Technologies 
• Intelligent Systems
• Machine Vision
• Advanced Communication and Networks Techniques
• Security & Privacy
• Social Implications of ICT
• ICT Role in Global health crisis
• Role of E – governance
• Pandemic Impact on global Education
• Virtual Augmented Reality

This international symposium will cover the diversified topics related to the recent global trends in world of Information Technology, including smart applications, embedded technologies, bio-inspired computing, security and privacy, knowledge economy, digital learning and entrepreneurship, smart cities, industry 4.0, cognitive cybernetics, quantum computing, big data and data analytics, augmented reality, and AI infused automation, and crisis management intelligent systems.

About the Resource Persons

The resources persons from academia, and industry will deliver lectures on future digital technology adoption and challenges for future. The list of tentative speakers is appended at the end.

Travel & Local Hospitality:

COMSTECH will arrange local hospitality for all selected participants. Travel support will be provided to the speakers/resource persons only. Participants are expected to get their travel funding from their parent organizations/country of origin.

Registration Process:

Step 1: For Registration:

Physical Participation: Registration is closed for physical participants.

Virtual Participation: https://forms.gle/tzpsnAf9TQy7zc469

Step 2: Read instructions in the application form carefully and submit a properly filled form along with your CV. Foreign participants must submit a scanned copy of passport.
Step 3: Selected candidates will be notified through email; hence, applicants are required to check their emails.

Venue:

The workshop will be held at the COMSTECH Secretariat, Islamabad, Pakistan. The city with the backdrop of Margalla Hills and National Park was purpose-built as the capital of sixth largest globally and second most populous (in OIC) country Pakistan in the year 1966. Pakistan, according to the Forbes magazine, is a hidden treasure for tourists with rich cultural diversity, ancient history, diverse landscape, cuisines, modern cities, and locally produced items.

Technical Focal Persons

Dr. M. Sadiq Ali Khan
Associate Professor
Chair IEEE Educational Activities, Karachi Section
University of Karachi

Workshop Coordinators

Muhammad Haris Akram
Programe Manager, COMSTECH
Tel: +92-51-9220681-3
Email: haris@comstech.org

Muhammad Haseeb Ahmad
Programe Officer, COMSTECH
Tel: +92-51-9220681-3
Email: haseeb.ahmad@comstech.org

Tentative List of Speakers

1. Jonathan Andrew Ware
   Professor of Computing
   Regional Director Technocamps,
   Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Science,
   University of South Wales, UK
   Proposed Topic: “Intelligent Systems Paradigms for Future”
2. Prof Zhi Jin
   Department of Computer Science and Technology
   Peking University, China
   Proposed Topic: “Self-Adaptive Software in the Human, Cyber-Physical Systems”
3. Professor San Murugesan
   Director, BRITE Professional Services
   Adjunct Professor
   Western Sydney University, Australia
   Proposed Topic: “AI in Education: Applications & Impact”
4. Dr Shahid Mahmood
   CEO Interactive Group
   Pakistan
   Proposed Topic: “Disruptive Future Technologies for Developing Countries”
5. Hui Wang
   Professor of Artificial Intelligence
   Queen’s University Belfast, UK
6. Prof. Tim Unwin
   UNESCO Chair in ICT4D
   University of London

Prof. Dr. Ute Römling
Professor
Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

Date and Time: November  11, 2021 from 15:00-17:00 (Pakistan Standard Time)

Overview:

The bacterium Escherichia coli is one of the most well-investigated bacteria due to its occurrence in almost every human, along with being one of the major pathogens for humans. However, little is known about E. coli as a commensal, despite the fact that E. coli K-12 is a laboratory model organism. In this Webinar, Prof. Römling will analyze her research finding of a recent E. coli K-12 clonal member in post-industrial human beings.

Target Audience:

The webinar is open to students, researchers, young scientists, and academicians  from the OIC member states and other countries.

For Registration please visit:  https://forms.gle/bwzKk8XC1623aqHt6

Procedure to Join:  Zoom link will be shared with selected participants

Profile of Speaker:

Prof. Dr. Ute Römling is Professor of Medical Microbial Physiology at the world famous Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. Her research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of biofilm formation mainly in Enterobacteria such as Salmonella typhimurium and persistence mechanisms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa world-wide spread clone C.

Prof. Romling has 129 publications, 43 peer-reviewed reviews, 2 peer-reviewed protocols, 10 popular-scientific publications, 15 book chapters and 1 book editorial. Among others, she has received research grants from the Swedish Research Council, ALF Foundation, European Commission and the German Research Foundation.

In 2000, she received the Young Investigator Award for Research in Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases from the ESCMID (European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases). Furthermore, Prof. Romling has been an Associate faculty at the International Center for Chemical Biology and Sciences, University of Karachi, Pakistan since 2016. She is a member of The European Academy of Microbiology since 2017, has been selected for AcademiaNet in 2016 and is a Member of USERN since 2020.

Webinar Coordinator:

Muhammad Haseeb Ahmad
Program Officer
COMSTECH, Islamabad.
Email: Haseeb.ahmad@comstech.org
Phone: +92 51 9220681

Prof. Dr. Stefaan Poedts
Professor/Chair
Department of Mathematics KU-Leuven University, Belgium.

Date & Time: 16 November, 2021 at 15:30 – 17:00 Hrs. (Pakistan Standard Time)

Overview:-

The EU Horizon 2020 project “EUHFORIA 2.0” aims at developing an advanced space weather forecasting tool, combining the MHD solar wind and CME evolution model EUHFORIA with the Solar Energetic Particle (SEP) transport and acceleration model PARADISE.

This webinar will first introduce EUHFORIA and PARADISE and then elaborate on the plans of the EUHFORIA 2.0 project which will address the geo-effectiveness of impacts and mitigation to avoid (part of the) damage, including that of extreme events, related to solar eruptions, solar wind streams, and SEPs, with particular emphasis on its application to forecast Geomagnetically Induced Currents (GICs) and radiation on geospace.

The EUHFORIA 2.0 project started on 1^st December, 2019, and yielded some results. These concern alternative coronal models, the application of adaptive mesh refinement techniques in the heliospheric part of EUHFORIA, alternative flux-rope CME models, evaluation of data-assimilation based on Karman filtering for the solar wind modelling, and a feasibility study of the integration of SEP models. The novel tool will be accessible by the whole space weather community via the ESA Space Weather Service Network as it will be integrated in the Virtual Space Weather Modelling Centre (VSWMC), which is part of that network.

Target Audience

The webinar is open to students, researchers, young scientists, and academicians from the OIC member states, and other countries.

For Registration please visit  https://forms.gle/Ui82NU5LyT8bsoBk7

Procedure to Join:  Zoom link will be shared with selected participants

Profile of Speaker

Professor Stefaan Poedts is Full Professor (Gewoon Hoogleraar) and is Chair of the Department of Mathematics at KU-Leuven University, Belgium. He has been conducting research in several areas of solar physics and plasma dynamics, including space weather, coronal heating, coronal mass ejection, solar wind, computational MHD, dusty plasmas, inhomogeneous flows in plasmas, waves and instabilities etc. He has published 379 research papers in reputed international journals with h-index 38 and more than 6000 citations. He has won several awards and honors. He has co-authored three books on plasma physics. He is the Principal Investigator of the project EUropean Heliospheric FORecasting Information Asset (EUHFORIA 2.0).

Webinar Coordinators

Muhammad Haris Akram
Program Manager
COMSTECH, Islamabad.
Email: haris@comstech.org
Phone: +92 51 9220681

Muhammad Haseeb Ahmad
Program Officer
COMSTECH, Islamabad.
Email: Haseeb.ahmad@comstech.org
Phone: +92 51 9220681

Prof. Dr. Joseph Niemela
Research Scientist Emeritus and Consultant
The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics
Trieste, Italy

Date & Time: 21 December, 2021 at 1500 – 1630 Hrs. (Pakistan Standard Time)

Overview

This lecture will outline some of the challenges associated with the study of turbulent flows, an enduring unsolved problem in classical physics.  Turbulence exists from microscopic to astrophysical scales, and also in quantum fluids albeit subject to severe restrictions imposed by the quantization of circulation, as first postulated by Onsager and Feynman. The talk is intended to be accessible to a non-specialized audience.

Target Audience

The webinar is open to students, researchers, young scientists, and academicians from the OIC member states, and other countries.

For Registration please visit  https://forms.gle/vwV7g8QuDnsgJXsJ9

Procedure to Join:  Zoom link will be shared with selected participants

Profile of Speaker

Prof. Niemela is a Research Scientist Emeritus and Consultant at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), a UNESCO Category 1 Institute, where he headed its Office of External Activities (OEA), Training and Research in Italian Laboratories (TRIL) program, and Applied Physics group. 

He is presently Chair-elect of the Forum on International Physics of the American Physical Society (APS), Secretary of Commission 13 (Physics for Development), of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP), and Chair of the Physics for Development Group of the European Physical Society (EPS). He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) and is a Foreign Fellow of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences (PAS).  He also serves as Treasurer of the International Commission for Optics (ICO).

He was a past recipient of  the Dwight Nicholson Medal from the APS, the Galileo Galilei medal of the Italian Physical Society, and the SPIE Educator of the Year award.

Webinar Coordinators

Muhammad Haris Akram
Program Manager
COMSTECH, Islamabad.
Email: haris@comstech.org
Phone: +92 51 9220681

Muhammad Haseeb Ahmad
Program Officer
COMSTECH, Islamabad.
Email: Haseeb.ahmad@comstech.org
Phone: +92 51 9220681

Prof. Dr. Nahid Ali
Fellow the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), J.C. Bose National Fellow, Pioneers of liposomal delivery system
used for vaccines and therapies

Date: 27 October 2021 
Time: 02:30 pm Pakistan Standard Time

• Flyer
• The speaker’s profile
• Abstract
  

Our Programme:

NTDs (neglected tropical diseases) are a major health and economic burden in Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states.  The control and elimination of NTDs requires both a scale-up and integration of global mass treatment programmes, along with new tools and technologies to tackle these diseases.  COMSTECH, in collaboration with A Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases (known as the NTD Network, https://ntd-network.org/), is launching a virtual lecture series.  for researchers across the Moslem world and beyond.  Our programme draws upon expertise from both networks, and offers opportunities to gain or enhance researcher knowledge, skills and connections, all of which help to grow our shared global capacity to tackle these rapidly growing NTDs. 

• The NTD Network, funded by UKRI’s Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), is a consortium of academic researchers from South America, Asia, and the UK, seeking new therapeutic solutions to leishmaniasis and Chagas disease
• Both COMSTECH and the NTD Network aim to promote global scientific cooperation and build researcher capacity to find new and better therapeutic solutions for NTDs

This online programme is the first of many COMSTECH-NTD Network joint activities via the COMSTECH platform. 

Target Audience:

This webinar is open to academics, scientists and the general public from all OIC member states.  The content is most relevant to scientists interested in NTDs research, and specialised in Microbiology, Genetics, Genomics, Molecular Biology, Molecular Medicine, and Pathology. 

Register with us to attend this meeting:
Register at : https://forms.gle/GkzNFwqveBDyLMWp6

Contact us for further details:
Khazima@comstech.org;  comstech@comstech.org

14^th October 2021- (4:00 to 6:00 PM PST)

COMSTECH is hosting webinar on World Food Day to achieve “Zero Hunger” with theme“Our actions are our future- Better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and better life”.

COMSTECH-OIC cooperation on Science and Technology (comstech.org) in cooperation with UK-based organizations SAWIE (www.sawie.net)  & UPSIGN (www.upsign.org.uk) hosting this year’s World Day in Pakistan on 14^th October that aims to promote knowledge and support good practices for enhancing agriculture and food production through climate-smart agriculture(CSA), conserving our water, soil resources and protecting biodiversity. It has a critical role to play for “ZERO HUNGER”  and address the climate change crisis.

The event will be highlighting the need for taking immediate actions to protect our food system to produce enough food in quantity and quality. The food system is facing tremendous pressure from climate change causing the depleting natural resources, soil degradation, water shortage and increasing threat from invasive species of pests and diseases. The COVID pandemic has already posed a serious threat to our food system , we need to develop resilient and holistic food system to fight hunger. 

SAWIE smart farm advisory services for smallholder farmers of Pakistan will be launched. SAWIE is a digital and knowledge platform advising  smallholder farmers in climate-smart agriculture and increase income (www.sawie.net)

For Registration: Use following link https://forms.gle/RJ8pkdcFZv8dad9z5. Registered Participants will receive certificate of their participation.

Technical Session
Programme (4:30 to 6:30 PM)

Chair: Prof. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary, (H.I., S.I.,T.I.),Coordinator General, COMSTECH

Co-Chair: Dr Shahid Mahmood Baig, Chairman, Pakistan Science Foundation.

Contact Info
For any query, Please contact on the below given Email address or Landline number

Email: Khazima@comstech.org or comstech@comstech.org
Phone No. : 92 51 9220681-3
Fax : 92 51 9211115, 9220265, 9205264
Khazima Muazim
Programme Manager,
COMSTECH Secretariat, 33-Constitution Avenue, G-5/2, Islamabad, Pakistan

Flyer Click Here

1- Introduction

Intellectual Property rights (IP) are designed to benefit society by providing incentives to introduce new inventions and creations in fields relating to technology (patents), business (brands) and the arts (copyright). They facilitate access to knowledge and inventions and stimulate innovation by resolving information asymmetries, facilitating international competitiveness and trade, and enhancing opportunities for access to finance. Therefore, their purpose is not the exclusive benefit of individuals/corporations but of the public community at large.

But alongside the benefits of IP comes the rules, laws and specific documentation required to ascertain the legality of registered IP or patent, which can be a difficult hurdle for technologists, innovators and entrepreneurs to overcome if not equipped with the necessary knowledge of the case specific system.

2- The Purpose of the Course

The purpose of the training course will be to empower managers and experts to raise the awareness of technologists, innovators, and entrepreneurs in OIC member countries regarding the detailed process of IP documentation and patent registration, as well as the different types of patents and related legal processes.

3- The Overall Scope

The training course will be organized by the INSTP in two stages. The first stage will be a 3-day online training course at the end of which the participants will be tested in order to be evaluated and selected for the second stage. The second stage will be a workshop held in Iran for the participants that pass the first stage.

4- The Training Course

• The Target Audience:
  • managers and experts from technoparks, universities and research centers

Each title would be covered in the duration of two hours,

• Preparing the Training Materials:
  • The training material will be prepared by the instructors, approved by INSTP

• The Duration of Course and Number of Trainees:
  • The online course will be for 3 days on November 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd, 2021 with open registration.
  • A number of trainees will be selected from the participants according to their qualifications and performance to participate in the workshop in Iran with covered travel and stay.

5- Course Instructors:

• Fateme Jahanpeyma
• Mitra Aminlou
• Bryan Khan
• Fredy Sánchez
• Mehrdad Khanlarkhani
• Leila Zarei

6- Evaluation

A comprehensive evaluation of the program will be made at the end, taking into consideration the output of the participants regarding quality, efficiency and organization, as well as timely follow up with the participants to document their progress.