Dubai: The winners of the fourth Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Award were announced on Sunday and they will be honoured during the Knowledge Summit 2017 on November 21-22.
The prestigious accolade seeks to promote and help build the knowledge economy, in addition to encouraging intellectual and creative achievements by honouring the people behind them. This year’s winners are Saudi Arabia’s MiSK Foundation, which specialises in developing educational institutions and supporting scientific research; renowned Japanese scientist Hiroshi Komiyama; and Wendy Kopp from the US, Founder of Teach For America and current CEO and Co-Founder of Teach For All.
“The Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Award is a world-class event bearing the name of a great leader. It has been instrumental in amplifying Dubai’s efforts and cementing its pioneering role in developing the knowledge industry, not only in the emirate, but also in the region and the world,” said Jamal Bin Huwaireb, CEO of Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF) and Secretary General of the Award.
He pointed out the award aims to raise awareness of the importance of knowledge, all the while shedding light on the most notable achievements of individuals and institutions around the world that promote knowledge-centric societies.
The only winner from the Middle East region, MiSK Foundation — also known as the Prince Mohammad Bin Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Foundation — is a non-profit devoted to promoting education and leadership among young Saudis to shape a bright future for the kingdom.
The Foundation has invested in educating the youth in three strategic sectors — education, media and culture — that support the advancement of the kingdom’s development and its efforts to secure a prosperous future.
Also a winner, Japanese scientist Hiroshi Komiyama, is a leading and highly accomplished scientific figure in many disciplines. He has had significant contributions in innovation, developing educational institutions and scientific research. A seasoned veteran in optical and transformational engineering, Komiyama has put forth theories and insight into human and social sciences — particularly, science-based social sustainability — which were elemental to a great deal of discoveries and solutions.
Komiyama has taken the lead in building a “network of networks” and enabling “knowledge innovation” for a sustainable society. This network now extends to Africa, Europe, Asia, Oceania and America.
Just the same, Wendy Kopp was honoured for her Teach for America initiative, which, for the past 25 years, has been working to give American children of all backgrounds the education they deserve. Kopp’s mission has since evolved into a global movement — Teach for All — which has brought together 45 like-minded institutions to help children around the world access education to reach their full potential.
The Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Award honours success in several knowledge-related categories, including development, innovation, leadership and creativity, the development of educational institutions, scientific research, communication technology, literature, publishing and printing, paper and electronic documentation, and many other sectors identified by the Award’s Board of Trustees.
