HEC, Sweden to set up Engineering University
By Bushra Rafique

ISLAMABAD—Higher Education Commission will set up an international engineering university to produce high quality graduates and strengthen university-industry linkages.
The university, to be established at Faisalabad or Sialkot in collaboration with Sweden, will have the capacity to accommodate 5000 students and enrol 100 students per discipline avery year.
A ten-member delegation from the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, currently visiting Pakistan to finalize various details held meetings with Chairman and Executive Director HEC here on Friday and finalized the basic features of the project.
According to HEC, the Institute is imparting technological education in Sweden since 1827.
The government had decided to establish four new engineering universities with the collaboration of European countries if Sweden, France, Germany and Austria.
The project is part of that vision and the objective is to bridge the existing gap between set up in Pakistan and internationally accredited standards of engineering universities. Both Sialkot and Faisalabad have industrial and commercial potential. The establishment of this top level international university will produce high quality graduates exposed to research and development activities which are required to modernize the industry and improve quality of people. The university will particularly focus on strengthening university- industry linkages.
Initially, a Bachelor Level programme will be started with an initial intake of 50 students, strictly on merit in each faculty/discipline per year.
Master and PhD levels programmes will be launched in a phasedmanner subject to availability of requisite provisions and facilities. As part of the long term vision, the University will be able to run in full capacity of 5000 students strength with approx.200 Ph.D level faculty members.
The university will have the disciplines of Electrical Engineering and Bio-Technology, Information Technology, Computer Sciences and Basic and Social Sciences.
The Curricula to be taught will be finalized after the consultation between HEC and the Swedish Institute and reviewing the curriculum of best universities.
The examination system will be entirely governed by the international standard in collaboration with KTH, Sweden. During discussions between HEC and KTH, it was decided that very highly qualified faculty will be developed and employed at the university. It has been decided that expertise and services of Pakistani students already studying in Sweden/Scandinavian countries will be utilized, people will be sent to Sweden for higher studies and training so that they could come back and join the proposed university at faculty position, and the graduates from existing scholarship programmes of HEC will be attracted towards this university.
An eight members Steering Committee consisting of four members from Pakistan and Sweden will be formed in mid September to execute the project.