ABU DHABI // Grants of up to Dh150,000 will be awarded to prospective researchers who express an interest in creating an archive of statistics and reference material for the UAE.
The grants, announced yesterday, will be allocated by the Emirates Foundation for Philanthropy as part of their Social Development Research Competition.
The competition is open to candidates with "original" research ideas on social issues including family cohesion, parenting, cultural and historical heritage, demographic trends, international awareness and health-related behaviour.
Dr Sabha al Shamsi, the senior executive adviser for the education programme and the acting senior executive adviser for social development at the Emirates Foundation, said: "The insight gained from these research projects will help a spectrum of groups, including policy planners and decision makers, as well as nationals themselves to identify, analyse and confront current social challenges as well as those that might occur in the future.
"The winners will be encouraged to publish their research findings and present them at conferences. This will assist the nation's efforts to promote a supportive environment for all Emirati citizens."
The announcement comes only a week after the foundation declared it would be giving similar monetary assistance to those wanting to conduct education research.
Aiming to attract PhD students who were willing to support improvements to national education, Dr al Shamsi said they were hoping to increase the "knowledge pool" surrounding teaching methods for K-12 and high school students.
The social development grants carry the same aim - to increase the amount of empirical information available to Emirati society.
Applications will be evaluated by an advisory committee for each sector, with preference given to the proposals that have the potential to deliver effective policy recommendations as a result of their findings.
The deadline for applications is April 14. They can submitted online at www.emiratesfoundation.ae.
aseaman@thenational.ae
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Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
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Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
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4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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