THIS is with reference to the report ‘Research offices set up in 11 varsities’ (Feb 3). It has been reported that 11 universities in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad have established Offices of Research, Innovation and Commercialisation (ORIC) as per the requirement of the Higher Education Commission (HEC). A meeting of ORIC directors discussed various strategies for fostering multidisciplinary collaborative research and it was decided to establish a research consortium at the Rawalpindi Medical University. This is, no doubt, a very exciting and encouraging piece of news. Research at university level will definitely help improve the quality of education, contribute to the ability of our industries and other institutions to become more competitive and innovative, and of course improve the financial health of the universities.