The Role of National Centers in Sustainable Development of Pakistan

In order to facilitate the research and development paradigm of the country, national centers are envisioned and developed under the patronage of Higher Education Commission and Planning Commission of Pakistan. These centers are consortium of laboratories developed at various HEIs working in a targeted domain. Some of these centers have been in existence for the last three years and are near the completion of their project duration. To further establish the need of such centers in other targeted domains, it is reasonable to consider their contribution towards the sustainable development of the nation in context of United Nation Sustainable Development Goals. This study will be conducted using the qualitative as well as quantitative research methodologies on the data collected from semi-structured surveys in the domains of outreach, engagement, awareness, technical innovation, and human resource development. The survey is conducted for the targeted audience of the members affiliated with the subject centers and is then further analyzed using the Rochester’s Institute of Technology’s design thinking methodology. It is observed that the centers play a vital role in the outreach, engagement, and the awareness domains. Further work is required to be carried out in the additional domains to create long lasting impact in the context of UN SDGs.