Speaking as the Chief Guest at the inaugural ceremony of International Workshop on Ion Beam Applications, Ambassador Dr. Mohammad Nafees Zakaria, Executive Director COMSATS emphasized the importance of research and development to bridge the knowledge and technology gap and highlighted National Centre for Physics (NCP)’s contribution to the field of physics in the country. He shared these views during the inaugural ceremony of the “5th International Workshop on Ion Beam Applications”, which was held on September 11, 2023 and hosted by the NCP in Islamabad.
Ambassador Zakaria was of the view that the countries of the Global South are lagging behind for various reasons being lower priority to R&D. He stressed upon developing countries to put together their resources, share knowledge and extend support to promote each other’s scientific products. Appreciating the role NCP is playing in the R&D of physics and the technical facilities it has for research, he noted that IAEA has accredited NCP’s Ion Beam accelerator facility.
Ambassador Zakaria acknowledged the NCP’s contribution to the field of physics, its well-equipped state-of-the-art facilities and expertise. NCP, in collaboration with The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (AS-ICTP), Trieste, Italy, successfully organized the 5th International Workshop on Ion Beam Applications (IBA) from September 11th to 13th, 2023, at NCP, Islamabad.
The workshop provided a platform for both national and international experts in Ion Beam Applications to deliver a series of informative lectures, conduct hands-on training sessions, and present the latest advancements in this field. Ion beams, spanning various energy levels, are vital tools in fields like fundamental physics, space science, technology, material science, medicine, and more.
The objective of the event was to promote international cooperation, address challenges related to ion beams, and improve the proficiency of ion beam users. Out of 200 applicants, 18 were selected to participate in this workshop. With a team of renowned faculty specializing in Ion Beams, the agenda encompassed a wide range of topics, featuring 19 engaging talks, including, ion beam techniques for material analysis, ion beam modification of bulk materials/nanomaterials, irradiation related to biology, industrial applications, applications of radioactive ion beams, X-rays and Gamma ray production cross-section studies using heavy ions, and so on.
Dr. Mohsin Siddique, Director NCP, delivered the welcome remarks during the ceremony, expressing gratitude to the Chief Guest, Executive Director COMSATS, Ambassador Zakaria and acknowledging the presence of foreign guests.
Dr. Ishaq Ahmed, Director-General, NCP, expressed his gratitude to all participants and reaffirmed COE Physics’ commitment to advancing the field of physics through numerous scientific workshops and international collaborations. The event also marked the inauguration of an R&D center in collaboration with UKM (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia), further enhancing scientific cooperation between institutions.
