Dubai: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, yesterday honoured two winners of the Mohammad Bin Rashid Medal for Scientific Excellence.
The medal, which represents the highest Emirati scientific honour, was awarded to Dr Saeed Al Hassan Al Khazraji from the UAE and Dr Hassan Arafat from Jordan for their achievements and contributions to science.
Shaikh Mohammad honoured them on the sidelines of the first annual meeting of the Mohammad Bin Rashid Academy of Scientists, which took place at Etihad Museum in the presence of prominent scientists and experts from various scientific fields.
The meeting focused on three main topics — natural sciences, health sciences, and engineering and technology. Ten discussion groups were formed with an aim to developing scientific plans and initiatives to achieve national strategies and objectives and enrich the scientific scene locally and globally.
Shaikh Mohammad said developing sciences is a top priority for the UAE, given its importance to achieving the government’s strategic objectives by assisting and advising government bodies in their various development projects.
“The medal aims to honour distinguished scholars and researchers who have made remarkable contributions in scientific fields. The prosperity of any society lies in investing in the capabilities of its scientists and researchers and involving them in the planning for the future.
“We launched the Mohammad Bin Rashid Academy of Scientists, the first of its kind in the Arab world, to be the incubator platform for all scientists of the region and their cutting-edge research that we need to sustain our growth and development,” Shaikh Mohammad said.
“Our aims are to revive the spirit of scientific production to serve humanity, enhance the role of scientists in the development process of the UAE, and to create an Emirati community of scientists across all scientific disciplines,” he added.
Sara Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Sciences and Chairperson of the Emirates Scientists Council, said: “The meeting of the academy of scientists comes as a response to Shaikh Mohammad’s message to the community of scientists to advance the role of science and scientists in the UAE.”
Al Amiri noted that the medal honours distinguished scholars and researchers who have made remarkable contributions in scientific fields. She explained that a committee of experts at the academy reviewed profiles of over 50 scientists and researchers before selecting the honourees of the medal for this year.
Present during the meeting were Shaikh Maktoum Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai; Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates airline and Group; Shaikh Mansour Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future, as well as a number of senior officials.
