Daily Times

The onset of COVID-19 in Pakistan has not only exposed flaws in our medical and healthcare infrastructure but also divulged the debilitated funding system that prevails within our highly praised institute of research funding, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan. We always denounce the scarcity of research funding to HEC; equally important is to efficiently utilize the already available limited funds. While it was time to fairly introspect about HEC’s funding initiatives and analyze the areas that have rendered us susceptible to this pandemic, we have observed a typical “fishing in trouble waters” strategy. RAPID Research and Innovation initiative has been launched with a focus on research areas revolving around COVID-19. Multi-million grants have been opened for proposals. Ironically, the majority of focused areas, though with fancy titles, will do little to combat the pandemic and will hardly give us any meaningful insights into the matter.

Most of the themes listed in the advertisement intend to make use of data in our population regarding COVID-19 to carry out disease modeling, enhance predictive capability and improve surveillance system-the data that does not exist or is not credible. As of March 30, there are just over 1600 patients with COVID-19, a number which is highly dubious, cryptic and inconsistent with regard to data collection protocols and set of parameters required for predictive analytics. Large-scale testing has not been carried out without which it’s impossible to get high-quality datasets and better inference about the disease afterward. Even the non-existence of a proper system to collect the patient samples in the majority of cities is a major issue. The potential exposure of the sample collecting staff to COVID-19 further exacerbates the situation. Hence, establishing a city-wide system to collect, store, transport, and use patients’ samples is supposed to be the top priority. What we see is completely the opposite; instead of steering these funds towards addressing these critical issues, the funds are directed towards building on something that doesn’t exist in the first place.

An important thing we need to understand is that we, as citizens of this global village, are expected to prepare for future pandemics, in addition to the ones we are already facing, like alarming rates of Hepatitis viruses etc. Therefore, draining down this money on short-lived projects, we need to establish facilities, and institutes that carry out world-class research on areas like, control of infectious diseases, prediction of pandemics, establishing facilities with the ability to characterize genomes/proteomes and to produce vaccines. For this, we need to have dedicated labs where infectious disease modeling would be possible, called BSL3-4 labs.

Another questionable attribute of the RAPID Research and Innovation Initiative is the duration of the proposed projects; 6-12 months. This precisely shows the vision of the decision makers. This ad hoc-ism has already tarnished the reputation of the HEC funding system. Multiple grants have been allocated in the past, such that when the grant was over, the project was gone. There is no sustainability and futuristic vision that may lead to an impact-oriented activity. Rather, the max you are expected is to published impact factor article(s), often with questionable quality. There is no continuity in the research focus and that is the reason we do not see dedicated research centers with a particular focus, anything that is equivalent to CDC, NCEZID, NCHHSTP, etc.

Therefore, false media hype should be strongly discouraged when it comes to scientific reporting

The result of this tunneled vision is evident; inability to address even the basic issues associated with pandemics. For example, the mere detection of SARS-CoV-2 by a routine test, called RT-PCR, is hailed as a big breakthrough, and universities are being falsely accredited for their ability to compete globally in vaccine production when, in reality, there doesn’t exist even a single facility with the ability to carry out this mammoth task. While it generates a short-lived excitement and praise among the masses, it blemishes the research culture of our country globally. Therefore, false media hype should be strongly discouraged when it comes to scientific reporting. It is also worth mentioning that without the existence of R&D in industry and university-industry joint ventures, even the basic reagents, like mastermixes are imported for diagnosis. We look for herbal disinfectants, while we have already good quality cheaper alternatives; we reinvent the wheel. Instead, these indigenous herbal products should be harnessed for their anti-microbial/antiviral effects, which by itself is a Herculean task and requires several years for completion.

It is likely that the proposal to revamp the HEC funding system will fall flat. However, I urge the scientific community of Pakistan to speak loudly about the deficiencies in the existing system of HEC funding, or, alternatively, get ready to receive a reprimand from Science and technology minister.

Here are some of the general and specific (related to COVID-19) recommendations;

1- The HEC should revise its funding plan and instead of giving away money for short term projects, identify areas of significance with long term goals.

2- Establish institutes with a focus on priority areas of research. Funds should be utilized on capacity building within these institutes.

3- Once established, these institutes will provide basic infrastructure to deal with calamities similar to the one we are facing now. You will not need RAPID Research initiatives in the presence of such institutes. They will have the ability to respond quickly in case of unexpected challenges.

4- Restrict use of samples with potential biohazards to be used only in dedicated facilities, like, in case of Coronavirus, only dedicated BSL3/BSL4 labs.

5- In order to meet the current coronavirus crisis, establish a city-wide system to collect, store, transport and use patients’ samples as a part of the research initiative, preferably in connection with the ministry of health and interior ministry. Only through these measures, we’ll be in a position to generate some useful data.

Famously said “every difficulty brings an opportunity”; this is a time to look at the gaps that exist within our research funding system. We should utilize this opportunity and devise long term strategies for sustainable research within the country. If there is any suitable time to carry out this paramount task of revising the HEC funding system, we are living in it now. Yes, this is the time!

The writer is an Assistant Professor, Principle Investigator and Chair- Department of Life Sciences, Alfaisal University, KSA