Islamabad (Staff Reporter) – On the occasion of Pakistan’s Independence Day celebrations, the International Islamic University Islamabad has announced a significant research achievement under its Research Excellence Incentive Framework.
One year after the framework’s launch, 105 faculty members produced 331 high-quality, ranking-related research papers during 2025, further enhancing the university’s research reputation at both national and international levels.
The framework was initiated in August 2025 by the President of the International Islamic University, Professor Dr. Ahmed Saad Al-Ahmad, under his initiative for academic recognition. His vision has placed research excellence at the core of institutional development, while his personal efforts secured resources worth 4.83 million Pakistani Rupees with the cooperation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to award eligible papers.
Working as a team under the university president’s leadership, Vice President (Research and Enterprise) Professor Dr. Ahmad Shuja Syed guided the implementation of the framework and its alignment with national research standards and international ranking indicators. Dr. Rashid Farooq, Director of the Office of Research, Innovation, and Commercial Application (ORCA), coordinated the process of receiving and evaluating the papers. As a result of these efforts, the initiative transformed into a transparent and viable system that yielded solid results in its first year.
Under the framework, each paper in the W category is awarded $100, while each paper in the X category receives $80, to be paid in Pakistani Rupees according to the prevailing exchange rate. However, the maximum amount that can be awarded to a researcher is capped at 150,000 Pakistani Rupees. In addition to the awards, the framework has allocated a prize of 150,000 Pakistani Rupees each for five researchers whose work is deemed most impactful. The W category is considered the standard in the fields of science and engineering, while both W and X category papers are included in social sciences, sociology, and Islamic studies. Researchers uploaded their papers to the IIUI Research Database, where their authenticity and eligibility were verified by the Directorate of Quality Assurance.
Out of the university’s 501 PhD faculty members, 105, or approximately 21%, submitted research that contributed to the university’s international ranking profile. Their 331 papers average 0.66 ranking-related papers per PhD faculty member, including over 300 W category papers and more than 20 X category papers. This review provides an encouraging foundation for broader faculty participation and improved future research output.
The Faculty of Sciences led with 221 papers, while the Faculty of Engineering and Technology and the Faculty of Social Sciences were also significant contributors. In terms of publications relative to the number of PhD faculty, the Center of Excellence in Advanced Electronics and Photovoltaic Engineering (CAPE), the Faculty of Sciences, and the Faculty of Engineering and Technology secured top positions. The Faculty of Computing and Information Technology and the Faculty of Management Sciences jointly ranked fourth, followed by the Faculty of Social Sciences.
Among the eight faculty members who reached the upper limit of the award of 150,000 Pakistani Rupees for writing the most papers in the W category are Dr. Ahmad Zeeshan (Faculty of Sciences), Dr. Tahir Mahmood (Faculty of Sciences), Dr. Rubina Khan Niazi (Faculty of Sciences), Dr. Rehmat Ilahi (Faculty of Sciences), Dr. Imran Murtaza (Faculty of Sciences), Dr. Zafeer Saqib (Faculty of Sciences), Dr. Waqaar Unnisa (Faculty of Sciences), and Dr. Sabir Zaman (Faculty of Social Sciences).
In addition to the awards, the five faculty members recognized for writing the most papers in the W category include Dr. Ahmad Zeeshan (Faculty of Sciences), Dr. Tahir Mahmood (Faculty of Sciences), Dr. Rubina Khan Niazi (Faculty of Sciences), Dr. Rehmat Ilahi (Faculty of Sciences), and Dr. Ahmad Shuja Syed.
The university president stated that this milestone reflects the university’s growing role in knowledge creation and lays the foundation for increased research output, broader faculty participation, and a stronger institutional position in global university rankings. Professor Dr. Ahmed Saad Al-Ahmad expressed pride in the colleagues who achieved this distinction and stated that he would personally distribute the awards to them.