Inaugural Ceremony of U.S.-Pakistan Centers for Advanced Studies-Supporting Research in Pakistan
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US Under Secretary of State for Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy Richard Stengel and US Ambassador to Pakistan Richard G. Olson, along with Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Muhammad Asif, officially launched the U.S.-Pakistan Centers for Advanced Studies (USPCAS), a $127 million investment from the United States building partnerships in higher education and research. USPCAS, will focus on finding viable long-term solutions to Pakistan’s greatest priorities
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The $127 million, five-year initiative will provide opportunities for joint research, facilitate faculty and student exchanges, and link academia and the private sector through policy development in the areas of agriculture and food security, energy and water. Speaking at the Inaugural Ceremony, Prof. Dr. Iqrar Ahmed appreciated the efforts of US and Pakistan team from diplomats, administration and academia and ensured that the project would lead to the achievement of empirical solutions of the issues faced in the field of Agriculture and Food Security, Water and Energy. Prof. Dr. Iqrar mentioned that ‘’USPCAS in Agriculture and Food Security anticipates that by this consortia Pakistani Agro driven economy will move to Entrepreneurial Agro Economy’’. The US-Pakistan Centers for Advanced Studies will be housed in four leading Pakistani and US universities. The University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, (UAF) and the University of California at Davis will partner to create the center for agriculture and food security, both the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) and the University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar, will partner with Arizona State University to create two centers for energy research; the University of Jamshoro and the University of Utah will partner to create the center for water.
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