Research Centers and Labs

Research Centers and Labs

1. Centre for Policy Studies (CPS)

The Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) aims at bridging the gap between academia, research and the public policy making processes. To achieve its goals the Centre’s team is a blend of academicians, scholarly researchers and policy practitioners who have had extensive experience in public policy formulation and implementations process at senior levels.

Through its collaboration and partnership with well-known policy centers and think tanks around the world, the Centre also examines Pakistan’s policy alternatives on the basis of best international practices in various fields.

Apart from the small team members at the CPS working on various issues, the Centre is also be able to access over 500 PhD scholars working as faculty across the campuses of COMSATS in the country.

For more information about CPS please visit: http://ww3.comsats.edu.pk/cps

2. Centre for Climate Research and Development (CCRD)

There is growing recognition that no nation will be immune to the impacts of the changing climate system. Today across the globe climate centres have been established to help understand and address the challenges of climate change The case for Pakistan is compelling, as South Asia is regarded by the global community as a region highly vulnerable to climate change. The need for building climate resilience is critical. Work on climate vulnerability, adaptation, GHG mitigation and disaster risk management has become equally important. For this purpose, the COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CUI) has set up a Centre for Climate Research and Development (CCRD).

The Centre was founded by Ambassador Shahid Kamal with the support of Dr. S. M. Junaidi, Rector, CUI. The creation of CCRD is a manifestation of the realization that there is an urgent need to develop Pakistan’s capacity to enhance understanding of climate change, develop relevant technical research capacity, establish knowledge networks and links in the region and internationally, and promote the teaching of climate sciences. Pakistan needs to increasingly look at its development work through a ‘climate lens’ to ensure adaptability and sustainability.

Hence an important aspect of the work of CCRD would focus on mainstreaming climate change into development policy and community- based adaptation to climate change across the country.

Major areas of work of CCRD will be in following areas

Study extreme weather conditions and associated environmental challenges by improving capabilities for scientific research,
Assess climatic conditions and climate variability in the region,
Conduct research on the consequences of climate change, leading to formulation of mitigation and adaptation strategies,
Provide support to institutions in Pakistan for designing policies and programs in the framework of the national Climate Change Policy.

CCRD’s main office will be located at CUI Islamabad, with the technical resource centre located at the CUI campus in Abbottabad.

Following are the main research expertise relevent to the Climate Change group at CUI Abbottabad.

Climate change and glaciers monitoring
Snow and glacier hydrology
Water resources management
Biodiversity and conservation
Nitrogen Cycling (global warming)
Climate change and ecosystem functioning

For more information about CCRD please visit: http://ccrd.edu.pk/

3. COMSATS Center For Executive Development (CCED)

The CCED is a recently launched initiative by the COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CUI). It is an autonomous entity based in the Department of Management Sciences at the CUI Islamabad campus. CUI is a top-ranked public-sector university in Pakistan, presently ranked among the country’s top five in the research categories and number one in terms of IT education. CUI presently spans a network of seven campuses having in total more than 23,000 students and 2,500 faculty members – including one of the largest concentrations of PhD degree holders in Pakistan. A leader in innovation, CUI presently offers over seventy degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, including a dual degree program it conducts in collaboration with the United Kingdom’s prestigious Lancaster University. CUI is also undertaking several scientific collaborative projects with reputed foreign universities across the globe.

No one will deny that in today’s challenging global economy where knowledge is now universally acknowledged the most valuable asset, education is more than a pathway to opportunity – it is a prerequisite. With rapid globalization, intensive competition and the increasing need for innovation, organizations in Pakistan and overseas are looking for employees who can think critically, analytically and holistically, successfully manage change, and apply new skills using more complex technologies. At the same time, organizations must continue to improve the way they operate, retain and manage their talent pool, and apply new best practice models in order to remain competitive and sustainable. Consequently, a knowledgeable workforce – one that is best prepared to compete in this economy in the commercial as well as the public and not-for-profit sectors – is in demand. Acquiring new knowledge, learning new skills, and applying new techniques can help master the challenges of change and enable Pakistan’s workforce to be more effective, efficient and innovative.

The CCED’s fundamental objective is to develop, organize and administer training programs in specialized business administration and management themes in accordance with the needs of and in close consultation with organizations operating in the public, commercial and not-for-profit sectors of Pakistan. CCED already has substantial experience to draw upon in this regard as the impressive list of Pakistani and foreign organizations for which its trainers has conducted training shows. In addition, CCED intends to organize events and undertake consulting assignments its fields of expertise for any organization in need of such inputs.

Through its activities, the CCED hopes to help its parent university CUI realize its mission which is to contribute towards Pakistan’s national development.

For more information about CCED please visit: http://ww3.comsats.edu.pk/cced

4. Center for Advanced Studies in Telecommunication (CAST)

The Center for Advanced Studies in Telecommunication (CAST) has been developed with an aim to use it as an interface between university-based telecommunication activities and regional telecom industry, IT industry, software developers, government and community groups. CAST from its inception has been focused on developing strong industry links, with specific regard to the practical implementation and realization of telecommunication technologies. This centre aims to develop a community of researchers among student and staff to achieve excellence in research and product development. This Centre provides support and assistance to academic staff in their quest for research funding and other support through liaison with funding bodies, industry and business community.

The team at CAST is working on many R&D projects in collaboration with various organizations and was also able to obtain significant research funding which shows a confidence in expertise and dedication of the team.