A two-day 4th international conference on new trends in chemistry held on Wednesday at Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU). It was participated by some foreign delegates as well researchers and academicians from forty-three Universities as well as other relevant departments from across the country. Key-note speakers were from China, Australia and Germany. Opening session was addressed among others by the acting Vice Chancellor AIOU Prof. Dr. Nasir Mahmood, Dean Sciences Dr. Syed Zafar Ilyas, chairman department of Chemistry Dr. Naghmana Rashid and the conference’s convener Dr. Nasima Arshad. The conference was organized by the University’s department of Chemistry in collaboration with the Higher Education Commission (HEC). It was aimed at providing a platform for learning and sharing ideas on new trends of multidisciplinary research, and to enhance collaboration at national and international-level to address new challenges in the scientific field. Dr. Nasir Mahmood in his inaugural address thanked the HEC for its consistent support in promoting research culture in the country. Such events, he said helped the University to make its positive contribution in addressing the socio-economic problems of the society. He asserted that the Universities are needed to fulfill their social responsibility to serve the society through their research-based academic input. The AIOU in the recent years, published eighteen research journals, relevant to the society and held a number of national and international conferences to achieve the desired objectives. Dr. Nasir Mahmood also briefed the participants about the University’s consistent efforts of providing quality education to all segments of the society, particularly the marginalized sections including prisoners, disabled persons, drop-out girls and transgender group. Besides this, they are providing free Matric education to the students from Baluchistan and tribal areas. A number of scholarships were introduced which are being funded by the University. The AIOU, he added has emerged as a leading educational institution in the country in term of research, providing academic inputs and innovative ideas to the end-users. The foreign delegates in their speeches appreciated the AIOU for providing them an opportunity to interact with their Pakistani friends on recent trends in chemistry. They hoped that the event will prove very helpful in encouraging and motivating the researchers to do the best in their relevant fields. Later, the Vice chancellor gave away University’s shields to the participants. Published in Daily Times, November 8th 2018.