The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has opened applications for Batch 60 of its International Research Support Initiative Program (IRSIP), which sends Pakistani PhD students abroad for a six-month research placement at a foreign university. The program is open to Pakistani and Azad Jammu and Kashmir nationals who are enrolled as full-time PhD students at HEC-recognized universities in Pakistan. To qualify, applicants must have completed at least 18 credit hours of PhD coursework and must be between 18 months and three-and-a-half years into their doctoral studies. HEC has specified that eligible candidates should have enrolled in their PhD program sometime between Spring 2023 and Spring 2025. Applicants must also have passed the GAT Subject Test or their university's own admission test. Under the program, HEC covers an economy-class return airfare of up to $1,300 for the research stay. Monthly living allowances during the six-month placement vary by destination: scholars travelling to the United States can receive up to $1,500 per month, those going to the United Kingdom up to £750 per month, and those heading to Austria, Germany or the Netherlands up to €975 per month, with other European destinations capped at €900 per month. Before applying, candidates need an approved research synopsis and must have already secured a formal acceptance letter from a foreign host institution, along with a foreign supervisor who holds a full-time faculty position at the rank of Assistant Professor or above. A recommendation letter from the student's local PhD supervisor is also required. Applications must be submitted through the HEC scholarship portal, and HEC has cautioned that applications left in "Saved" status rather than fully "Submitted" will be rejected. The deadline to apply for this batch is October 30, 2026.