The Muslim world must invest heavily in science and technology (S&T) research, said speakers at a three-day workshop here, noting that despite the fact the most of the OIC members states possessed rich energy resources, they had badly ignored science and technology, which was a paramount heritage of Muslim scientists. “The OIC countries are endowed with rich natural resources; they contribute around 70 percent of the world's energy resources and 40 percent of industrial raw materials. They comprise one quarter of the world's population - mostly young people. Despite this natural wealth, most OIC countries remain underdeveloped and heavily dependent on agriculture and other commodities or products based on natural extraction,” said prof. Atta-ur-Rahman, coordinator general, COMSTECH and chairman HEC, at the opening ceremony. “The potential contribution of S&T for development has still not been recognized in most OIC countries. This is evident in their under investment in education and S&T sectors which results in the unequal distribution of resources and societal inequalities,” he said, while strongly emphasizing that building of scientific capability resulting in innovation was fundamental to the socio-economic growth of OIC nations. “Scientific research creates new knowledge and generates new technologies both essential for attainment of economic growth and competitiveness and this fact has been widely recognized, but in most OIC countries even the knowledge that exists has not been used productively due to misconceived priorities and weak institutional structures,” he said. Atta said the OIC member states have established the COMSTECH Frontier Technology Center (CFTC) which has organized several training courses in the past two years mostly in molecular biology and biotechnology. In those workshops, the international experts have trained about 100 participants from other OIC states and 157 from Pakistan, he added. “We also established a Center for Policy Research at COMSTECH. This center has published 3 studies and organized two training courses where scientists from 9 OIC countries participated. We wish to expand this center to a full fledged policy research center where OIC scientists will have the opportunity to research on science, technology and innovation policies of OIC.” __
