The famous rubric ‘Science is the technology of tomorrow' compels that Science and Technology Policies (STP) of Asian countries ought to be integrated for expeditious achievement of technological developments in the region. A purposeful and practical approach is essential in the formulation of STP to match the national goals. In Pakistan, a comprehensive STP was adopted in 1984 and reviewed extensively thereafter to achieve self-sufficiency in food and energy, and for providing optimal healthcare, increasing literacy, improving national growth, and establishing high-tech institutes to support the industrial sector. A significant progress has been made in Pakistan in Science and Technology and the Pakistan Academy of Sciences has been involved all along in this endeavor. However, the challenges of the new millennium are extraordinary and require greater dedication than has been the case so far.

At the time of independence in 1947, Pakistan inherited very few institutions capable of scientific development and technological research. In the past five decades, Pakistan has made noticeable progress. The current institutional structure for Science and Technology in Pakistan comprises governmental and non-governmental institutions. The private sector is gearing up to use the available technological know-how to gain competitive edge internationally. Venture capital companies and autonomous institutions are engaged in accelerating technology-based growth.

The gap in Science and Technology between the East and the West is of recent origin. Contributions of the East in discoveries of science can’t be rebuffed as it was the East that led the way in science for 500 years. Despite a nonpareil heritage, the East is lagging behind in Science and Technology, and the West has achieved technological superiority and is now setting the pace for technological advancement. In the present millennium, joint ventures and collaborations in Science and Technology between the East and the West are emerging as a unifying force.

The currently widening gap in Science and Technology in Less Developed Asian Countries (LDACs) stems from multiple causes. Some of the common factors that have led LDACs in a trailing position are lack of political stability, population pressure, harsh climate, import of finished products and huge national debts. These factors have not only widened the gap but have also disturbed the equity of science and technology between the East and the West.

Science and Technology development gains momentum when a suitable environment for its popularization is created. The creation and promotion of such an environment is a prerequisite for development of Science and Technology particularly in a country where social and economic patterns and customs are bound by tradition and religion. Pakistan has launched a movement for the popularization of Science and Technology as an integral part of its long-range development plan. It is in this context, particularly, that the Pakistan Academy of Sciences has been most active. It has a continuing commitment towards inculcating a rational and scientific way of thinking among the Pakistanis.

Pakistan has recently promulgated a new Science and Technology Policy, which fosters a passion for scientific progress. This policy aims at optimizing tehnology-based development by investing in the latest technologies in order to gain an edge in indigenous industrial growth. Keeping this in view, the endeavor of the Academy is to focus on national scientific priorities by coordinating international collaboration on its platform in the fields of:

(1) Agriculture (including Livestock, Fisheries and Forests)
(2) Medicine and Health
(3) Energy
(4) Environment
(5) Earth Sciences (including Irrigation and Soils, Meteorology and Oceanography,
      Minerals, Seismology)
(6) Information Technology and
(7) Biotechnology
(8) Bioinformatics
(9) Medicinal Plants
(10) Nanotechnology
(11) Climate Change and Water  Shortage