Federal Secretary Health Iftikhar Shallwani inaugurating two day National Health Research Conference in Islamabad emphasized priortizing health research as it is of critical importance to making progress in the health sector. Informed evidence based decision making is of pivotal importance in meeting the challenges that confront us in provision of health care to the masses, he said while addressing top health research experts and public health leaders from across the country. Top Public Health leader Dr. Zulfiqar Bhutta Chairman Board of Governors NIH delivered his keynote address making a strong case for according priority to Health Research. The two-day (9th ,10th September) National Health Research conference has been jointly organized by National Institute of Health, Higher Education Commission, Pakistan Academy of Sciences and Pakistan Science Foundation. The main objective of the conference is to promote collaboration and networking among funding agencies, researchers, policymakers, and allied stakeholders an also to provide a platform for research funding agencies to present their experiences and research. This conference is a unique opportunity for researchers, healthcare professionals, academicians and policymakers to come together to share knowledge, discuss the latest trends in health research and explore new ideas and collaborations. The conference covers a wide range of topics including; health research contextualization & prioritization, emerging areas of research, pharmaceutical research, drug development and many more. formulate draft Islamabad Declaration for Health Research prioritization and capacity strengthening in Pakistan.