The Ministry of Higher Education and PIB announce the winners of the eighth Award for Scientific Research
The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Palestine Islamic Bank announced the winners of the eighth “Award for Scientific Research”.
The announcement was made during a ceremony jointly held by the Ministry and the Bank. The ceremony was sponsored by the Ministry and attended by Prof. Dr. Mahmoud Abu Mwais, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research. Attendees also included Maher Masri, Chairman of PIB’s Board of Directors, Dr. Imad Al-Sadi, PIB General Manager, Dr. Mai al-Kaila, Minister of Health, Dr. Ola Awad, President of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Mr. Iyad Nassar, representative of the Governor of the Palestinian Monetary Authority, and Dr. Basri Saleh, Deputy Minister of Higher Education. The event was also attended by employees of the Ministry and the Bank as well as a number of researchers.
During his speech, Abu Mwais extended the greetings of the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Prime Minister. He further stressed upon the attention attached to supporting scientific research as an essential element for developing nations and civilizations. In this respect, he mentioned that such research certainly contributes to the development of countries and communities and falls within their benefits.
The Minister applauded the achievements of the winners of the eighth “Award for Scientific Research”. He also saluted PIB for the continuous support it offers for scientific research in Palestine, namely since such research does not only contribute to meeting the needs of the Palestinian community, but also to achieving Sustainable Development Goals.
Abu Mwais thanked Palestine Islamic Bank for the partnership between both parties. He also extended his gratitude for PIB’s efforts to improve the quality of scientific research deliverables. In this respect, he noted that the excellent scientific achievements of Palestinian researchers have led Palestine to rank first among Arab Countries in the field of scientific research quality, whereby more than 14,000 research papers were published under Scopus’ global database.
Minister of Higher Education also celebrated the research achievements realized by detainees in the prisons of the Israeli occupation forces. He announced that the Ministry is offering them many higher education programs, thus enabling them to further their research activities.
Abu Mwais called for supporting the Ministry’s efforts to support the Scientific Research Quality and Development Fund and the Student Loan Fund, upon noting that such step is important for promoting scientific research and enabling affordable and almost free educational services.
On his end, Dr. Imad Al-Sadi, PIB General Manager, congratulated the Award winners, where he stated that such award aims at fostering scientific research in Palestine, encouraging researchers to conduct further research and publishing more research products that would grant a new added value to knowledge.
Al-Sadi praised the role of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, led by HE Prof. Dr. Mahmoud Abu Mwais in terms of organizing and overseeing the award details and deploying all efforts toward ensuring the achievement of its objectives. He also stressed upon the importance of the continuous cooperation between the Bank and the Ministry in promoting a culture of scientific research at the level of the educational process and contributing to the development of a generation who is sufficiently aware and equipped with knowledge to realize the hopes and aspirations of the People.
Al-Sadi noted that: “The Award is an essential element of PIB’s Sustainable Social Responsibility Program. It was developed as a result of the major attention attached by the Board of Directors to promoting the role of the Bank in terms of Social Responsibility, namely in vital sectors, such as health and education. The program also seeks to support Jerusalem-based institutions, enhancing their resilience, and supporting our People in Gaza, deemed to be the Country’s second lung, especially through providing potable water amidst the recurring and dire challenges they are facing.”
On another hand, Mr. Iyad Nassar, Director of the Banking Supervision Department of the Palestine Monetary Authority, praised the efforts of PIB in cooperating with the Ministry of Higher Education in sponsoring and supporting the eighth “Award for Scientific Research”. He noted that research plays a major role in promoting knowledge and positively influencing the community, namely since it raises the awareness of individuals in developing their community and promoting its economic growth. This will in turn positively impact the wellbeing of individuals and help address economic, political, and health-related problems, among others.
He also mentioned that the contribution of the Palestinian banking sector in favor of Social Responsibility has amounted to around USD 5 million in 2022. A number of sectors benefited from such contribution, where the sectors of health, environment, and education received the largest share of support.
Moreover, Nassar extended his congratulations to the winners and his wishes for more success, namely through further research. He also called for fostering partnerships between the academic and private sectors in the field of scientific research, as such cooperation would promote and ensure cultural advancement and progress.
Dr. Maissa’ Abu Zanat ranked first in the category of Education, Learning, and Trade in the Technology and Artificial Intelligence Era, while Dr. Ahmad Alia received the second-place award, and Dr. Safaa Abu Jarur ranked third.
The first-place award in the category of Applied Sciences (Earth, Water, and Agriculture) and its Role in Promoting Local Production was awarded to Prof. Dr. Nawaf Abu Khalaf, while Dr. Malek Zaher and Prof. Dr. Mohammed Salem ranked second and third, respectively.
Dr. Bisan Maraqa ranked first in the category of Health Sciences (Epidemics and Diseases – Study within the Palestinian Context), while Dr. Johnny Amer received the second-place award, and Dr. Mustafa Ghanem ranked third.
The first-place award in the category of Administrative Systems – Integrity, Accountancy, Accountability, and Transparency was awarded to Dr. Alaa Duwaikat, while Dr. Islam Abduljawad and Dr. Mohammed Saleh ranked second and third, respectively.
The Award aims at encouraging the scientific research culture in Palestine, promoting partnerships among the private academic sector within the field of scientific research, encouraging and supporting researchers in Palestinian universities for conducting unique research, enhancing the quality of scientific research as to enable further contribution to the achievement of sustainable development, and enabling research in the field of emergency response and technological transformation.
The Award also seeks to instill a deeper understanding of surrounding phenomena and economic, social, and natural events, in favor of facilitating life, discussing contemporary economic and social issues that are essential for the advancement of the community, and identifying solutions for various issues