Proposal #6: Encouraging PPPs in Research and Development

Proposal #6: Encouraging PPPs in Research and Development

224 The Government of Pakistan puts considerable emphasis on science and technology as a driver of economic growth and prosperity. A dynamic HE sector can play an important role in scientific and technological development by providing the intellectual and physical infrastructure to innovate, generate new scientific knowledge and adapt existing technologies in the most effective and relevant manner.

227 There are a variety of reasons why there are few business/university linkages in research and development in Pakistan. A key one is that there is little research being conducted in Pakistani universities and much of the research that is conducted is of low quality. Other factors include the fact that:

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  research being undertaken in Pakistan universities is often theoretical in nature and of limited relevance to industry (e.g., little research is done in areas such as design and process improvement);
  
• 
  there is a low percentage of qualified staff in universities;
  
• 
  laboratory equipment is old and outdated;
  
• 
  there is little interaction with industries, including in the development of courses and programs;
  
• 
  academicians’ time frames are governed by research guidance and teaching assignments, while industry’s time frame is immediate and results oriented (Hussain 2005).
  

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  linking academia to private industry through increased use of faculty exchanges, allowing pension portability for public HEI faculty who transfer to public HEIs and allowing academics to sit on company boards;
  
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  develop pre-incubators that provide a mechanism for networking with other entrepreneurs, allow testing of ideas, coaching and training before moving into incubator phase. This is particularly relevant given the ‘rudimentary’ nature of university/industry linkages; and
  
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  provide seed money for development of autonomous research centers with ‘sunset’ funding clause. This would introduce a ‘market test’ and improve performance incentives as the continuation of the research depends on patents and commercialization of research.

  230 These proposals would build on recent HEC and other initiatives aimed at enhancing industry/university linkages, including the development of Industrial Productivity Centers, which is part of the National Productivity Organisation’s Benchmarking Services of Pakistan program. The NPO is a skill-development and research organization, whose mandate is to address and promote productivity in all sectors of the Pakistan economy.

  
  

Proposal #7: Introducing Measures to Improve Efficiency in the Delivery of HE

231 The HEC could undertake a number of steps aimed at improving the efficiency of HE delivery in Pakistan. These include: (i) benchmarking operating and staff costs and revenues for both private and public HEIs – in aggregate and for individual sub-components; and (ii) identification and dissemination of good practices in institutional management. Both measures would provide the HEC and individual HEIs with valuable information on the efficiency and quality of delivery across institutions. It would also provide the HEC with a valuable learning tool for HEIs through the dissemination of best practice examples across a range of institutional functions¹⁶.

232 The HEC should also examine the scope for additional outsourcing of non-core services in HEIs to the private sector. Outsourcing involves the transfer of service provision from a public entity to an external – usually private sector – organization and has been widely used by government agencies to procure a broad range of services, including transportation, cleaning, refuse collection and fire protection. The use of the private sector to deliver non-core services in the higher education sector has been common for many years. HEIs around the world have outsourced a wide variety of services to the private sector. As Wertz (2000) argues, financial pressures are likely to see this trend continue or even escalate.
233 Non-core services that could be outsourced by HEIs in Pakistan include food services, bookstores, accounting and auditing services, advertising, architectural services, security, construction, IT, data processing, evaluation services, examinations, legal services, public relations, hostels and accommodation services, and utilities. The HEC currently outsources some functions – such as examinations.
234 A more far-reaching proposal would involve allowing the private sector to manage a small number of public HEIs or particular schools/faculties within public HEIs. For example, a private HEI or entity could operate the business school at a public university under a contract to a public provider. These HEIs/schools would continue to be government-owned, but would operate with the same autonomy and the more flexible regulatory framework that applies to private HEIs.

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