The Higher Education Commission Pakistan has released its Annual ORIC Self-Assessment Evaluation Report for FY2024-25. The report reviews research and innovation performance across universities in Pakistan.
HEC evaluated 95 universities across the country. Institutions were ranked into four categories. These include W, X, Y, and underperforming groups. The ranking is based on research output and innovation performance.
According to HEC, only seven universities achieved the top “W” category. These universities scored 80 or above. This shows strong performance in research and commercialization activities.
Top universities include Air University and National University of Sciences and Technology. Other top institutions include NED University of Engineering and Technology, Sukkur IBA, and University of Agriculture Faisalabad.
A total of 38 universities were placed in the “X” category. These include major institutions such as Aga Khan University, LUMS, COMSATS University Islamabad, and Bahria University. These universities showed good but not top-level performance.
The report also placed 43 universities in the “Y” category. These institutions showed average research performance. This group includes University of Karachi, University of the Punjab, and University of Peshawar.
Seven universities were marked as underperforming in the evaluation. These include Karakoram International University and University of Swat. The report highlights the need for improvement in these institutions.
HEC noted that 17 universities improved their ranking compared to last year. However, four universities dropped in performance category. This shows mixed progress across the higher education sector.
The report also highlighted a major increase in research activity. Universities submitted 9,987 research proposals in FY2024-25. This is a large rise compared to 2,237 proposals in the previous year.
However, approval rates remained low. Only around 12.5 percent of proposals were approved. Officials said this is due to limited funding and higher competition.
HEC also reported issues in leadership structure. Only 68.42 percent of universities have full-time ORIC heads. This gap is affecting research planning and innovation progress.
Most universities still have research managers and commercialization officers in place. However, the absence of permanent ORIC leadership is a concern.
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Overall, HEC says the higher education sector is improving slowly. But challenges remain in funding, leadership, and research output quality.
