The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has published the Annual ORIC Self-Assessment Evaluation Report for financial year 2024-25, covering research offices across 95 universities.
The report ranks each university’s Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialisation into four performance categories: W, X, Y, and Underperforming, directly linking grades to research funding entitlements.
17 universities improved their performance category compared to the prior year, while four institutions recorded a decline, reflecting shifting research capacity in higher education sector.
Top performers
Seven universities achieved the highest “W” category, each recording a score of 80 or above in the commission’s standardised ORIC self-assessment evaluation framework for 2024-25.
The top-ranked institutions include Air University Islamabad, NUST Islamabad, NED University Karachi, Sukkur IBA, The University of Lahore, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, and Ziauddin University Karachi.
Mid-tier rankings
38 universities were placed in the “X” category, including Aga Khan University, LUMS, Quaid-e-Azam University, COMSATS University Islamabad, Bahria University, and Mehran University of Engineering Jamshoro.
Also in the “X” category were Dow University of Health Sciences, Iqra University Karachi, Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology, Sindh Agriculture University, and the University of Sargodha.
43 universities were placed in the “Y” category, among them the University of Karachi, University of the Punjab, Lahore College for Women University, and Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan.
Other “Y” category universities include Sindh Madressatul Islam University, Jinnah University for Women, Islamia College University Peshawar, and the University of Peshawar.
Underperforming institutions
Seven universities were declared underperforming: Bacha Khan University Charsadda, Greenwich University Karachi, Karakoram International University Gilgit, and Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur were among them.
Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University Peshawar, Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University Islamabad, and the University of Swat were also classified as underperforming institutions in the report.
Funding implications
Under HEC policy, a university’s ORIC grade directly determines the overhead percentage it receives on all research grants awarded during the financial year 2024-25 and beyond.
“W” category universities will receive 15 percent overheads on research grants, while “X” category institutions are entitled to 10 percent and “Y” category universities will receive 5 percent.
Universities classified as underperforming will receive 0 percent overheads on research grants, creating a strong financial incentive for institutions to improve their ORIC performance ratings annually.
Research activity and leadership gaps
Universities submitted 9,987 research proposals in 2024-25, a sharp rise from 2,237 proposals in the prior year, reflecting significantly increased research activity across Pakistan’s university sector.
Despite this growth, the proposal approval rate fell to approximately 12.5 percent, owing to heightened competition among institutions and limited availability of research funding from national and international sources.
The HEC noted that only 68.42 percent of universities currently have full-time ORIC heads, a gap the commission identified as affecting strategic research direction and overall institutional performance.
More than 85 percent of institutions have full-time research managers and innovation and commercialisation managers, but the absence of permanent ORIC leadership remains a key concern for the commission.
| Category | Universities | Examples | Funding Overheads |
|---|---|---|---|
| W (Top Tier) | 7 | Air University, NUST, NED, Sukkur IBA, UoL, UAF, Ziauddin | 15% |
| X (Strong) | 38 | Aga Khan, LUMS, QAU, COMSATS, Bahria, Mehran, Dow, Iqra, SZABIST, Sindh Agriculture, Sargodha | 10% |
| Y (Moderate) | 43 | Karachi University, Punjab University, LCWU, AWKUM, SMIU, Jinnah Women, Islamia College, Peshawar | 5% |
| Underperforming | 7 | Bacha Khan, Greenwich, Karakoram, Shah Abdul Latif, SBBWU, SZABMU, Swat | 0% |
