Dr. Syed Ismail Shah, Chairman of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, has been entrusted with additional charge as head of ICT R&D Fund as its acting CEO till the slot is filled with a suitable candidate, we have checked with sources.
Dr. Ismail Shah, who is regarded as a success as Chairman of PTA, will now look after the matters of ICT R&D Fund, an autonomous body responsible for research and development in the country.
ICT R&D Fund is currently backlogged with tons of projects that were not concluded or funded for years due to in-availability of a proper CEO. Government had advertised for the job in past, however for time being, Mr. Shah is appointed to head the fund.
ICT R&D Fund pockets an annual budget of Rs. 2 billion, however, only 96 projects have been funded since the fund was incorporated almost a decade ago. Success rate in these funded projects is low, which clearly indicates the under performance of ICT R&D fund.
ICT R&D fund is also aiming to play a key role establishment of startup ecosystem through its Tech City incubation center. We have also heard that ICT R&D fund is also in process of devising mechanism to invest in startups and tech companies.
With appointment of Dr. Ismail Shah as CEO of the fund, it is hoped that he will be able to replicate his success-story as Chairman of the PTA.
Dr. Ismail Shah, during his tenure as Chairman of PTA, played a key role in auction of 3G/4G licenses, various regulatory reforms in telecom sector, renewal of telecom policy and lately the opening-up of YouTube.