THE SECRETARIAT

ED COMSATS’ New Year 2024 Message

In my capacity as the Executive Director, I wish the COMSATS’ fraternity and the International Community at large a very Happy and Blessed New Year 2024!

Last year was a year of persistent challenges, sufferings of humanity due to man-made and natural disasters, with its socio-economic impact.

Food Security; Climate Change; Cyber Security; Digitalization and infrastructural & technology gap between the haves and have-nots, Public Healthcare, are some of the challenges that would continue to haunt us.

Science and technology-enabled innovations are seen as a panacea.

COMSATS 27 Member states are promoting science, technology and innovation-led sustainable development. Utilizing the expertise and technological resources available through its Network of 25 Centres of Excellence, COMSATS has been executing innovative programmes for the benefit of Member States. However, COMSATS remains open to cooperate, collaborate and benefit others as well. Recent addition of Spain’s University of Granada to the COMSATS Network is a significant milestone being the first entry from Global North.

Multilateral cooperation in R&D; Precision Medicine, Genomic Sequencing, Genetic Counselling, Bio-Informatics, and Intellectual Property Rights are major areas of COMSATS focus. COMSATS is for “Collaboration with Transfer of Technology.”

The launch of Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange (BRST) in November 2023 with Chinese Leadership’s undertaking of sharing expertise, development and importantly the technology towards a shared future, is a welcome development. Out of 27 COMSATS’ countries, 25 are Member of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which affords them greater opportunities and advantage for cooperation.

With a Network of 20 member countries and 24 affiliated institutions, the COMSATS Centre for Climate and Sustainability (CCCS) has emerged as a robust advocate for a greener and sustainable environment.

COMSATS Tele-Health programme is an enormous success in the Host country, Pakistan, with its outreach to the less advantaged people in remote areas through the use of technology.

I welcome countries, particularly of the Global South, to join COMSATS in the endeavours to achieve common goals and deal with common challenges.

Thank You!