Occidental supports awards to recognise Oman’s postgraduates
For the second consecutive year, Occidental of Oman (Oxy Oman) and Gulf Intelligence have teamed up to recognise Omani and Oman-based postgraduates with outstanding achievements in the field of energy.
Award nominations, which are open now, will be evaluated by a proficient Selection Committee that will announce 4 winners, 2 Masters and 2 PhD postgraduates. This initiative comes at a time when the Sultanate gets ready to celebrate its brightest minds who can take the globally-lauded helm from the older generation and spearhead a new era of innovation in the Sultanate.
The winners will be presented with their awards at the 5th Gulf Intelligence Oman Energy Forum on November 28 in Muscat. The awards mark a key step in efforts exerted by stakeholders in industry and academia to inspire an ethos of innovation and research and development (R&D) in Oman. Such mentalities and working environments will also provide more coveted job opportunities for the country’s brightest students — encouraging talents to work locally is essential to Oman’s transformation into a knowledge-based economy.
“Postgraduates’ intellectual appetite for pushing the boundaries of what we think we know should be recognised and supported. In this way we can foster a positive cycle of inspiration and mentorship for even younger generations. Along with entrepreneurship, skills development and other enabling efforts, enhancement of a focused research capability can play a key role in diversification and development of a sustainable economy,” said Stephen A Kelly, President and General Manager, Occidental of Oman.
Significant progress is being made to create an environment where excellent thinkers can thrive in Oman; encompassing scientists, engineers, economists, communicators, analysts and many more crucial roles. Postgraduate appetite is clearly growing. Around 300 Masters and PhD students have enrolled across sixty different programmes at the Sultan Qaboos University this year alone, marking one of the university’s highest enrolment rates so far.
The volume of postgraduate talents will only grow in line with the Sultanate’s world-class facilities, including the launch of Innovation Park Muscat (IPM) at the end of this year. IPM marks the newest and most ambitious science and technology development in the country to date, thus reaffirming the Sultanate’s penchant for novel thinking. Developing and celebrating a cadre of people who have invested in the future to tackle important challenges creates a significant opportunity for Oman moving forward.