In the one year since inception, Al Jalila Foundation’s medical scholarship programmes are well on the way to bringing out locally relevant research. Its first scholarship programme dedicates Dh3 million a year to academically and financially deserving Emirati medical students pursuing postgraduate studies in the UAE at higher education institutes and universities accredited by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. The second is a recently announced grant to attract the best minds in the world to pursue medical research in areas that concern the UAE.
Dr Abdulkareem Sultan Al Olama, CEO, Al Jalila Foundation, tells GN Focus, “We have five areas of interest — diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and mental health. We plan to look for the best minds. We’re looking at at least one candidate for each of the areas of interest, so we should have five fellows and five grants. Regardless of where they come from, the research should be in the UAE for people living here.”
Focus on applied science
Applied science is necessary for development and is an area of focus for the UAE’s vision for the future. The National Research Foundation, for example, has been awarding grants on a competitive basis to faculty, postgraduate and PhD students as well as to young innovators since its creation in 2008. Since then, UAE residents and nationals have successfully competed at the local and international level.
Earlier this year, ten Emirati projects were nominated to the shortlist of the International Telecommunication Union’s World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Project Prizes 2014. The projects have been submitted by government departments as diverse as The Mohammad Bin Rashid Smart Learning programme, Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority, the Land Department, Abu Dhabi Education Council, Abu Dhabi Systems and Information Centre, Dewa and the Ministry of Interior. Prizes are awarded in a variety of information and communications technology categories.
Last month, Mohammad Nasser Al Ganem, Chairman of the WSIS National Committee and Director General of the Telecommunication Regulatory Authority, which is coordinating national procedure for the WSIS, urged members of the public to vote for the shortlisted projects. “Having shortlisted the Emirati initiatives, we are working to develop an integrated action plan to effectively enhance their chances of reaching the final stages. Their success will in turn help boost the presence of the UAE in this significant global forum,” he said.
Elsewhere, universities are driving research to help respond to the country’s specific needs. In March, Masdar Institute of Science and Technology launched its Institute Center for Water and Environment (iWater) to drive research projects and produce technologies that address clean water production, climate change and water resource management in the region.
Dr Taha B.M.J. Ouarda, Head of iWater, and Professor of Water and Environmental Engineering, said the launch would facilitate resource sharing and lead to enhanced funding opportunities for researchers. “We believe iWater will bring about innovations that will further the adoption of clean technology,” Dr Ourada said.
One recent result of the country’s research thrust was the launch, this January, of the UAE’s fifth but first locally built satellite. A wholly Emirati project without external partners, the satellite will capture high-resolution images of the earth, which can then be used for weather studies, mapping, and infrastructure planning. Forty-five Emirati engineers worked on the project, helped by the Emirates Institute for Advanced Science and Technology (Eiast).
Offering specialisations
At the Al Jalila Foundation, the first batch of senior Emirati medical students is on their way to specialise in their chosen disciplines. “At the moment we have fellows in the fields of health-care management, quality of health care and dentistry, where we have specialisations such as oral surgery and paediatrics,” says Dr Al Olama.
Dr Eman Hassan Al Nuaimi and Dr Noura Mohammad Mahmoud, who graduated from Ajman University, are among 17 students to be awarded the scholarship. Employees of the Ministry of Health at Public Health Centres in Dubai and in Sharjah respectively, they chose to specialise in paediatric dentistry while on study leave for three years. They will join the Dubai School of Dental Medicine from the next semester. Dr Mahmoud tells GN Focus, “There are not enough paediatric dentists in the country — in Sharjah, for instance, we only have three. After the course, I plan to return to the Ministry of Health. We need to have a prevention programme for children in the UAE. We have a big job to do in raising awareness of primary teeth — how to take care of them and reduce cavities in children. The vision is for wider prevention.”
One of the deciding factors in applying for the scholarship is that those interested can pursue higher studies in the UAE instead of having to travel and live outside the country.
Dr Al Nuaimi tells GN Focus, “It was a dream to have a scholarship in the UAE. Usually, the scholarships are outside of the UAE. Now I can study and be close to my family,” she says.
“The research projects will be related to the UAE population. It will help strengthen the research base in the UAE,” says Dr Al Nuaimi, whose thesis is about oral findings in children who are undergoing treatment for leukaemia. “Statistics may help in establishing preventive protocols for patients, in improving care for them and in improving quality of life.”
