Six new grants aim to boost Emirates’ research capacity

The National Research Foundation (NRF) announced on Monday the launch of six new research funding competitions to help build research capacity in the country, reward research excellence and contribute to the National Innovation System. NRF was set up in March 2008 by Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, in order to advance the UAE national research agenda by awarding grants for research on a competitive basis in those fields of endeavour that will improve the quality of life of the citizens of UAE or contribute to the advancement of the UAE as a knowledge-based society. Dr Husam Sultan Al Ulama, NRF director, said: “For UAE to become a knowledge based society, we must help build research capacity amongst young national researchers”.  NRF will offer grants to nationals working as faculty members in the federal and the private accredited universities in the country to travel to the best research universities and centres in the world in order to increase their research capacity. NRF will also offer grants to national students enrolled in a postgraduate research programme in an accredited higher education institution in UAE or worldwide at the time of submission. In addition, NRF will offer grants to university researchers to fund the filing of patents and other grants to increase university-industry collaboration. Dr Al Ulama said, NRF also announced that it will offer prizes to outstanding young national researchers. Prizes will be awarded to nationals who have produced outstanding doctoral or master’s research thesis. Prizes will also be awarded for recent graduates who have produced outstanding research or capstone projects as part of their final year undergraduate studies.