Islamabad
Prof. Atta-ur-Rahman has won the “Friendship Award of China” which will be conferred on him in Beijing on 29th September, 2014.
The Friendship Award is the People’s Republic of China’s Highest National Award for “foreign experts who have made outstanding contributions to the country’s economic and social progress“. The formal Award giving ceremony will be held in Beijing on September 29th.
The Award is being given for the tremendous and historic contributions of Prof. Atta-ur-Rahman to develop strong linkages between China and Pakistan in various fields of science and higher education. Prof. Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman was responsible for initiating a major program of academic collaboration and linkages with Chinese Universities and other institutions as Federal Minister of Science and Technology and later as Chairman Higher Education Commission.
Under these programs some 400 students were sent to various Chinese Universities and research institutions for Ph.D. level training. Prof. Rahman has initiated strong collaborations with many Chinese Institutes. Prof. Rahman signed an Executive Protocol for Scientific Cooperation between Chinese Academy of Sciences and Pakistan Academy of Sciences under which many Workshops have been organized in Pakistan and China.
Prof. Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman, has also initiated a nation-wide project for training students in Universities of Pakistan in Chinese language through video-conferencing. Prof. Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman’s book entitled, “The Wondrous World of Science” has been recently translated into Chinese language. Prof. Atta-ur-Rahman, FRS has recently been awarded International Cooperation Award from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) on January 10, 2014.
He has 976 publications in several fields of organic chemistry including 720 research publications, 37 international patents, 151 books and 68 chapters in books published largely by major U.S. and European presses. Prof. Rahman is the most decorated scientist of Pakistan, having won four civil awards: Tamgha-i-Imtiaz, Sitara-i-Imtiaz, Hilal-i-Imtiaz, and the nation’s highest civil award, Nishan-i-Imtiaz.