ISLAMABAD
\nSecretary-General of the Developing-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation Ambassador Sohail Mahmood has emphasized that education, science, and technology constitute vital pillars of D-8 cooperation, offering significant opportunities for strengthening institutional linkages and advancing collaborative initiatives.
\nHe expressed these views while meeting a high-level delegation of Pakistani educationists at the D-8 Secretariat in Istanbul, where discussions focused on D-8\u2019s origin and historical evolution, the current trajectory of D-8\u2019s sectoral cooperation in myriad fields, and the Organization\u2019s initiatives in the realm of higher education, research, and innovation, said a press release received here on Monday.
\nThe secretary-general particularly highlighted the D-8 Network of Pioneers for Research and Innovation (NPRI) as a flagship platform linking leading universities across member states, noting that the network currently comprises 28 prominent institutions. He encouraged more universities and higher education institutions from Pakistan to join the NPRI through relevant national ministries to further enhance academic collaboration within the D-8 framework.
\nThe Secretary-General also noted Pakistan\u2019s important role in hosting key D-8 affiliated bodies — including the D-8 NPRI Secretariat at COMSATS University, Islamabad; and the D-8 Research Center for Agriculture and Food Security (RCAFS) at the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad.
\nThe delegation comprised senior representatives from Pakistan\u2019s higher education and scientific community — including Dr. Abdul Basit, President of the Association of Private Sector Universities of Pakistan (APSUP) \u2013 Federal Chapter; Mr. Sabur Sethi, President of City University of Science and Technology, Peshawar; and Mr. Muhammad Murtaza Noor, Focal Person and Coordinator for CCoE and Outreach at OIC-COMSTECH, Islamabad.
\nThe delegation appreciated the efforts of the D-8 Secretariat in promoting academic and scientific cooperation and expressed keen interest in expanding engagement with its initiatives, particularly under the NPRI platform. The participants noted that they were in T\u00fcrkiye to attend the Eurasia Higher Education Summit (EURIE) 2026, which brought together a wide range of universities and institutions, reflecting Pakistan\u2019s growing higher education sector and its commitment to international academic collaboration.
\nThe meeting reaffirmed the shared resolve of D-8 member states to advance knowledge-based cooperation and promote innovation-driven development through enhanced collaboration in higher education, research and technology.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD Secretary-General of the Developing-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation Ambassador Sohail Mahmood has emphasized that education, science, and technology constitute vital pillars of D-8 cooperation, offering significant opportunities for strengthening institutional linkages and advancing collaborative initiatives. He expressed these views while meeting a high-level delegation of Pakistani educationists at the D-8 Secretariat in Istanbul, where […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":541671,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-541653","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-national"},"yoast_head":"\n