Within the framework of considering scientific research as the way for political, economic, and social development, Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences (SHAMS) supports Scientific Research papers in UAE with AED 2 million in each term.
According to this year’s resolution by the scientific committee of the Award’s Center for Research Support, 12 research projects were selected from 42 projects from UAE to be financed. Selected papers deal with prevalent diseases in UAE, including effects of air pollution on respiratory, heart and circulatory system and a new treatment of Diabetes.
Dr. Seham Al Dien Galadari Chairman of the Scientific Committee of the Award’s Center for Research Support and Dean Assistant for Research and Post Graduate Studies, Faculty of Medicine- UAE University, said that in order to make use of money, efforts and time the center’s international arbitrators panel selects projects according to the possibility of being applied.
"The main objective of the award is serving the medical community in UAE through many activities, mainly supporting scientific medical research through funding assistants’ salaries, chemicals, medicines and equipments", Dr. Galadari said. He added that the award allocates a maximum of AED 200 thousand for each scientific research, in order to fund the largest possible number of research projects to be an infrastructure for the future medical research in UAE.
Dr. Galadari said that UAE Research papers have a good presence on the levels of Arab and international countries."Scientists of UAE are not satisfied with foreign research papers on diseases treatment. UAE People have their own genetics, which are different from others. Using same drugs by all people in the world do not affect them the same way", he said. "Therefore, we shouldn’t leave our fate in others’ hands. We should manufacture our medicine, depending on a strong base of knowledge", he added.
Besides all, Dr. Galadari said that conducting scientific research provides good experience for the whole team collaborates in such research like students, nurses and doctors. For developing the health sectors locally and internationally, the Award supports researchers not only by funding their papers, but also by publishing them on Journal of Medical Sciences (JMS) and international medical journals. In each term, the Award honors the researchers who completed their scientific research papers in a big ceremony attended by the Award’s Board of Trustees’ members.
It is worthy to mention that since its establishment in 1999, the award has funded around 60 papers, including a research for a master's degree on Extracting enzyme of Ceramidase from camel's brain, in order to reduce amount of enzyme of Ceramide that causes cell damage in human bodies. Through the Master’s book the researcher send a recognition message to HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, regarding to HH tremendous efforts on supporting everlasting march of science innovation.
