The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has invited Pakistani researchers and scholars to apply for the HEC Research Awards 2026-27, with a cash prize of Rs1 million available under the Best Publication category.
The awards aim to recognise outstanding research, contributions to intellectual development and social welfare, and publications that have a significant impact. Successful recipients will receive certificates along with cash prizes.
The competition has three main categories: Best Researcher, Best Young Researcher and Best Publication. The Best Researcher and Best Young Researcher awards carry cash prizes of Rs500,000 each, while the Best Publication award carries a Rs1 million prize. The Best Young Researcher category is for researchers under 40.
The awards will be given across three broad disciplinary groups:
- Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Law, Education, Management and Public Policy
- Physical Sciences, Engineering, Technology, Computer Science, Statistics and Mathematics
- Life Sciences, Biological Sciences, Health Sciences, Pharmacy, Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences
For the Best Publication category, HEC accepts eligible scholarly books and journal articles. Its current eligibility criteria state that journal articles must be published in an HEC-recognised W-category journal and have at least 100 citations, while eligible books must be published by a recognised academic press.
Interested researchers can submit their applications through the HEC online portal by October 31, 2026, at 11:59pm Pakistan time. HEC says applications will be submitted online along with the required supporting documents.
