HYDERABAD, Dec 2: Senate Chairman Mohammedmian Soomro has exhorted scholars of the Muslim world to get in the forefront of research as there has been no invention to their credit in recent past.

He said people needed to be encouraged so that they could play their role in this vital field.

Speaking as chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of a three-day international training workshop on “Patent System” organized by the National Centre of Excellence in Analytical Chemistry, University of Sindh, in collaboration with Comstech and Islamic Educational Scientific and Cultural organizations (ISESCO) on Friday, he said human development could lead to poverty reduction, improvement of people’s skills and their socio-economic conditions.

He lauded the Sindh University for organising workshop on patent system which had a close relevance with developing countries.

“It is interesting to note that Muslims used to dominate fields like surgery, medicine and herbal medicine and that the first surgery was performed by a Muslim surgeon,” he said, while regretting that in recent times there has been no invention by Muslim scholars. “This is due in large part to our departure from the field of research,” he remarked.

He stressed the need for exploring new opportunities of research. “We are basically dependent on others (in this field),” he said, adding that people should be encouraged to give their full input to research.

“There is no dearth of talent,” he said, “but there is need to draw on this rich pool for society’s development”.

Patent system is an important area for preservation of intellectual property rights, he added.

He said due attention should be paid to agriculture as water resources “are getting scarce”. He added that research and mechanization in farming could be of great help to farmers.

He said water resources should be preserved and their storage capacity should be enhanced.

Vice-chancellor of Sindh University, Mazharul Haq Siddiqui, said that research and development had a narrow base in the country as well as in the Muslim world but with the passage of time, the activity was bound to gain momentum.

He said that Sindh University was producing around 3,000 graduates to serve society.

Ali Ibrahimi, director of ISESCO (Tehran), said economic prosperity could not be achieved without acquiring capabilities to absorb, adapt and develop new technologies and utilizing them for socio-economic development.

He added that Islamic countries were biggest consumers of foreign technologies and dependent on advanced nations for their basic needs.

He said that patenting gave an inventor monopoly to restrain others from making, using/selling his invention without his/her permission. He said that production costs of new products were usually low. “That is why innovative products are easily copied and cheaply developed.”

Dr M.Y. Khuhawar said that the workshop would help promote patent culture in Muslim countries and intellectual community. He added that it would provide an opportunity to learn procedures for obtaining patent.

Dr Muhammad Iqbal Bhangar, director of National Centre of Excellence in Analytical Chemistry, said that with fast developing globalization the concept of frontiers and boundaries had disappeared “and today it is important to work with other communities for survival as a nation”.

Dr. David E. Dougherty said an application for patent in USA must be filed and signed by true inventor or inventors even if it was assigned to a company. He added that a financer or one who offered help in developing invention was normally not considered an inventor.

Scholars from universities, research organizations and industries of OIC countries are attending the workshop.