The Karachi University’s (KU) International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Centre for Research (NCR), Khartoum, Sudan, to initiate academic, research and scientific cooperation between both the institutions.
According to the ICCBS spokesman, ICCBS Director Prof Dr Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary on behalf of the international centre and Director NCR Prof Dr M Galal M Ahmed signed the MoU in a special signing ceremony held at Khartoum, Sudan.
On the occasion, Dr. Choudhary said that ICCBS was among the leading centres of excellence in chemical, biological and biochemical sciences, serving as the centre for research and training of scholars form various countries of the world.
The facilities at ICCBS are at par to any good research establishment in the west. The ICCBS is an integral part of the Karachi University which is recognised as the premier establishment of higher learning and research in the sub-continent and in the developing world, graded as 233 in world ranking of universities in natural sciences, while the ICCBS is one of the best higher learning institutions of the varsity.
The NCR director praised the research facilities and standard of the ICCBS, and said that NCR was a premier research institute of the Minister of Science and Communications in Sudan.
He said the collaboration with the ICCBS would definitely build the human capacity of various institutions in Sudan. He said that capacity building, collaborative research projects, organisation of joint events, commercialisation of herbal drugs and botanicals, and ICT-based education and training were the areas on which the MOU would mainly focus.
As per the MoU, it was also agreed that bi-national workshops/seminar/conferences will be organised jointly to develop linkages between academicians and researchers. This agreement will be effective for a period of five years from the date of signing. This MoU may be terminated by either party by prior written notice of at least three months.