Princess Sumaya stresses the need for Arab cooperation in building a national science agenda


19-08-2013 03:29 PM

Ammon News - AMMAN (Petra)--Her Royal Highness Princess Sumaya has called on government, academia and industry to cooperate in creating the necessary environment for innovation to flourish in Jordan.

Speaking at the launch of ‘The Atlas of Islamic-World Science and Innovation: Jordan Case Study’, at the Royal Scientific Society, the Princess added that in assessing Jordan’s current situation, we must be mindful of our future goals: "We must challenge ourselves to work harder and with more unity for progress and development." HRH said that the Jordan Atlas was a comprehensive effort to define the status of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) in the Kingdom, to assess the related policy framework and governance structures, and to examine the roles and constraints of stakeholders and cultural factors.

"Jordan has made great efforts to develop a roadmap for development through science, technology and innovation," said the Princess. "We are committed to strengthening our STI capabilities through investment in people and development of policy, despite our regional challenges and our scarce resources." Princess Sumaya added that the findings of the report confirmed that human talent was Jordan’s greatest asset, and that providing an environment in which this talent could thrive was society’s greatest challenge.

"We must ensure that we build our own Information Age by strengthening the links between education and industry. In Jordan, we must ensure that education is responsive to the ever-changing needs of local and regional job markets. That means building and maintaining a constant consultative process between employers and alumni on the one hand, and educators on the other." The Princess said this report was a vital part of monitoring progress and identifying weaknesses in Jordan’s scientific development. She thanked all those who had worked hard to produce the document, including: The Royal Society (UK); the Organisation of Islamic Conference; Nature; The Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries; the British Council; the International Development Research Centre; the Qatar Foundation; the Islamic Development Bank; COMSTECH; and the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. Princess Sumaya also commended the efforts of a dedicated team at the RSS, who had led the project on the ground in Jordan, and facilitated interviews and inputs from a wide variety of Jordanian sources.

Ambassador Abdul Moiz Bokhari, Assistant Secretary General addressed the attendees saying "Collaboration in science and technology is not an uncharted course in Muslim history. We are inheritors of a rich scientific culture." He added that "The completion of Jordan Case Study marks another milestone in the Atlas of Islamic World Science and Innovation project. The study is an effort to analyze the status of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI), the related policy framework, governance structures, roles of various stakeholders and key science and innovation inputs and outputs." Dr. Julie Maxton, Executive Director of the Royal Society UK said ""It is our hope that the report will be of great use to scientists and policymakers in and beyond Jordan in furthering the development of science, technology and innovation in the country and the region" Mr. Robin Rickard, Country Director, British Council, Jordan added that "the Atlas of Islamic Innovation Jordan report is an excellent example of strong partnership working and an important contribution to the wider agenda of internationalising higher education and research collaboration between Jordan and the UK." "The Atlas of Islamic-World Science and Innovation" is an initiative that aims to showcase the changing landscape of science and innovation across a diverse selection of countries in the Middle East, Africa and Asia with large Muslim populations.




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