Pakistan stands at 68th position out of 141 countries according to the recently conducted International Innovation Index Survey, as shown in documents from the Ministry of Science and Technology.
There are several reasons for poor innovation in Pakistan which include:
However the Ministry claimed that several steps have been taken for the development of Science and Technology in the country. The current government has given high priority to Science and Technology and it’s evident from the ruling party’s manifesto. Accordingly, Ministry of Science and Technology has devised “Science and Technology Strategy 2014-2018” for rapid development of Science and Technology.
Technology foresight studies in 11 areas have been conducted by Ministry of Science and Technology and disseminated among stakeholders. These areas of R&D include Information and 25 Communication Technologies (ICTs), Energy, Industry, Education, Health, Agriculture, Environment, Electronics, Water, Biotechnology and Nanotechnology.
National Research Agenda has priority areas and under each priority area, a number of focus areas of research have been identified in line with Pakistan Vision 2025 document of the Government.
To encourage Scientists/Researchers/Technologists following steps have been taken by the Present Government: