The Department of Education and Knowledge in Abu Dhabi announced the provision of 54 competitive research grants this year, valued at more than 40 million dirhams, for research projects within two main programs: the Abu Dhabi Scholarships for Research Excellence Program and the Abu Dhabi Scholarships Program for Young Researchers.
This came within the efforts of the Education and Knowledge Department to create and sponsor a system of scientific research in Abu Dhabi that promotes globalization.
The department indicated that it focuses its research grants this year on seven priority sectors and strategic importance for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in the field of scientific research, namely life sciences, “health, food, agriculture”, space industries, education, social sciences, information technology, communication, manufacturing, materials science, energy and the environment.
She pointed out that financing the 54 research projects winning grants out of 320 research proposals evaluated by the department and international residents from the leading research institutions around the world, based on a set of criteria that included the quality of the research, its originality, the extent of its usefulness, its impact and its connection with the strategic sectors in Abu Dhabi, in addition to Scientific qualifications of applicants and the extent of the project's contribution to the development of human cadres.
When evaluating the projects, consideration was given to the extent of cooperation with the industrial sector, as well as the extent of cooperation among the various higher education institutions to implement the proposal, in addition to the extent to which these research proposals relate to the science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects «STEM».
The competing research proposals were subjected to rigorous review and evaluation processes, after which 12 projects were funded in the life sciences sector, seven in the space industry sector, 10 in the education and social sciences sector, seven in the information and communication technology sector, four in the manufacturing and materials science sector and six in the energy sector , Eight in the environment sector.
54 Research Excellence
The Abu Dhabi Scholarship Excellence Program is one of the programs to fund outstanding research projects in the strategic priority areas of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
The program targets those who work full-time in higher education institutions within the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, in addition to their partners in the relevant industry sectors.
As for the Abu Dhabi Scholarships for Young Researchers Program, it is similar to the Abu Dhabi Scholarships for Research Excellence Program in the strategic priority areas of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, but it targets young researchers who have completed a PhD or its equivalent during a period not exceeding six years.