Role of Universities In Achieving SDG Targets:
National governments alone cannot realize the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals on their own. Collective and individual efforts are required at the national and local levels and by all stakeholders for achieving the SDGs. Governments will need the support and broad involvement of various stakeholders, especially the universities as well as the private sector and civil society organizations (CSOs), amongst others.
LCF is a funding instrument launched by HEC under the HEDP that provides grants to research projects on a competitive basis. LCF subsidizes private investment in sectors where there is an expectation of commercial viability accompanied by measurable social and/or environmental outcomes in line with SDG targets. LCF will support research by university faculty on challenges faced by local communities in the districts in which the universities are located. The purpose is to provide faculty members with an incentive to address local problems, be they about water and sanitation, or energy access, or promoting growth and exports, or increasing employment, or others. Our vision is to set up SDG research centers in the universities, compile the relevant data in a repository, provide capacity building support, build a governing structure to guide and evaluate the quality of research, and set targets for achievement. It will help in a number of ways, including providing access to data, building local ownership of the SDGs, involving universities in monitoring implementation and achievement, investing in the analytical and pedagogical capacities of the institutions, and enabling inter-regional sharing of lessons and achievements.
Workshop Objectives:
HEC under the banner of LCF plans to host a series of virtual workshops for the academic community wishing to apply for the upcoming LCF grants. The aim of the workshops is to sensitize stakeholders about the SDGs, prioritize SDGs for Pakistan and to get feedback on the role of SDGs for their work and how they can contribute to SDG implementation in the country.
The main objectives of the workshops are the following:
To sensitize stakeholders about SDGs, reflect on SDG prioritization and localization;
To update participants on the country's progress towards the implementation of SDGs;
To involve academic stakeholders regarding the SDG priorities and also ascertain their relevance and role and how they can support and contribute to SDG implementation in the country; and
To establish future working relations to ensure that SDGs are understood resulting in quality proposals ensuring effective implementation.
Workshop Methodology:
A focal person from each of the provinces will be sharing their respective priority areas and some of the use cases for the SDG research.
We will follow a case study format, where representatives of relevant universities will be invited to pitch their ideas and share past research experiences related to SDGs.
Participatory approach will be taken to prioritize the SDGs and also give an opportunity to participants to deliberate and provide feedback on how they can contribute towards the implementation of the SDGs by also identifying the SDGs which are most relevant to them.
Workshop Schedule:
The workshops will be held from 7th August till 17th August and structured as follows:
S.No. | Workshop theme | Tentative Date & Time | Panelists/Speakers |
1. | Role of Universities in independent evaluation and monitoring of the SDGs | 7th August, 5-7pm | Dr. Zain ul Abdin (HEC) |
2. | Innovation Support from Universities for Sustainable Development Solutions | 10th August, 5-7pm | Will be updated soon |
3. | Implementation Support from Universities for the achievement of the SDGs | 13th August, 5-7pm | Will be updated soon |
4. | Research approaches needed to address the SDGs, including interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research | 17th August, 5-7pm | Will be updated soon |
Click here to download Workshop Flyer
To attend these workshops and for any further information, please contact info-r&d@hec.gov.pk.
These workshops will also be aired live at;
- HEC official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HECPakistan2002/
- HEC Edu TV stream: https://edutv.hec.gov.pk/
For updates and latest, keep visiting this page.
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