Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences has begun to receive requests for funding medical research projects within UAE, in its 7th term 2011-2012. The submission is valid until the end of December, on genetics and epigenetics, child and women’s health and metabolomics and nutrition.

 

This was stated by Prof. Seham Al Dien Galadari, Chairman of the award’s research support Committee (whose mission is to evaluate submitted research projects). He said that 2 million DHs. are allocated at each term of the award to support excellent research projects within UAE, with the aim of developing scientific and technological knowledge in order to upgrade the health sector. Funding research projects covers costs of chemicals, drugs, consumables, equipments, and travelling expenses for research purposes.

 

He also noted that each project should be submitted on a completed application form that includes the project title, specific aims and objectives, experimental design and method, and data analysis results. The application should include curriculum vitae of principal investigators as well as key personnel engaged in the project. Investigators should submit the approval of Ethical Research Reviewing Committee and a brief letter from the director of the institution supporting the plan assuring the feasibility of the study.

 

Prof. Galadari said that the accepted projects are evaluated by internal and external referees in order to recommend the successful nominations to the scientific committee. Priority of funding is to projects that could play an important role in developing the health sector within UAE. The scientific committee suggests the amount of grant that could be allocated to the proposed projects and its duration. The successful nominations will be further recommended by the scientific committee to the award’s general secretariat and subsequently to the board of trustees for approval.

 

Prof. Galadari said that Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences is obligated to support scientific research papers not only by funding them, but also by following-up, providing advices for researchers, if necessary, reviewing reports submitted to the award every six months regarding to their results, and publishing the results in its Journal of Medical Sciences (JMS), the only specialized printed and electronic medical journal within UAE.

 

It is worth mentioning that Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences has supported 65 scientific research papers, since its establishment in 1999 until now. 56 search papers are completely done with highly appreciated quality and efficiency.