The Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan has started a new online platform called Global Scholars Network (GSN) for bringing overseas academics, researchers, professionals and international experts in association with universities all over Pakistan.
The platform has been developed by the National Academy of Higher Education (NAHE) to enhance academic cooperation, foster the exchange of knowledge and develop novel avenues for research and innovation in the higher education landscape of Pakistan.
This initiative offers a unified digital platform that integrates qualified experts from all over the world with Pakistani Universities for teaching, research, mentoring and professional development.
What Is the Global Scholars Network (GSN)?
Global Scholars Network (GSN) is a national digital platform established for strengthening linkages among Higher Education Institutions of Pakistan and the world class scholars.
The platform is a space for overseas Pakistani researchers and professionals to share their knowledge and expertise and for the university to benefit from their free inputs.
HEC seeks to improve academic partnerships with a single online platform, eliminating the need for manual and disparate approaches to collaboration.
Objectives of the Global Scholars Network
The Global Scholars Network seeks to accomplish a number of significant goals such as:
- Strengthening international academic collaboration
- Connecting overseas Pakistani scholars with local universities
- Supporting research and innovation
- Enhancing faculty development
- Improving curriculum quality
- Promoting knowledge transfer
- Building stronger industry-academia partnerships
- Encouraging global engagement in Pakistan’s higher education sector
Opportunities for Overseas Pakistani Scholars
The platform is an opportunity for registered experts to offer their expertise voluntarily for a variety of academic activities.
These include:
- PhD supervision
- Collaborative research projects
- Guest lectures
- Academic workshops
- Faculty development programs
- Curriculum design and improvement
- Innovation and technology projects
- Industry-academia collaborations
- Research mentoring
- Academic consultancy
The use of flexible digital model helps the experts living outside Pakistan to contribute without relocating.
How the Platform Works
Any experts who want to be added to the Global Scholars Network can develop a professional profile with the following information:
- Academic qualifications
- Research interests
- Publications
- Professional experience
- Areas of specialization
- Institutional affiliations
- Skills and expertise
After the submission, profiles are verified and approved and then can be accessed by HEIs in Pakistan.
This makes it possible for universities to team with certified specialists with pertinent academic and professional qualifications.
Benefits for Pakistani Universities
Advanced search features will enable universities registered on the platform to search for experts according to:
- Academic discipline
- Research specialization
- Country of residence
- Professional experience
- Area of expertise
Institutions can submit collaboration requests, administer in progress collaboration projects and track the projects’ results with an integrated digital system.
Why the Global Scholars Network Is Important
There is a large population of highly qualified professionals and academics in Pakistan with specialization in leading universities, research institutes, multinational companies and international organizations in the world.
Global Scholars Network provides a structured platform for these experts to share their knowledge, experience and research skills with the higher education system in Pakistan.
HEC’s vision of collaboration with the global Pakistani community is to foster high quality research, boost innovation and extend academic partnerships.
Global Scholars Network (GSN) is an important milestone in the higher education sector of Pakistan. HEC is working to foster academic excellence, faculty development, and research collaboration between Pakistani scholars in other countries and universities by providing them with a centralized digital platform.
With the increasing number of scholars and institutes joining the platform, it has the potential to help and strengthen Pakistan’s universities, improve the quality of research and create long-term international academic partnerships that will benefit students, faculty and the country’s knowledge economy.
