IDB announces prize winners for science, technology

RIYADH: The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) said three institutions have won this year’s prizes for science and technology, and each will receive $100,000 and a trophy.

The institutions are from Indonesia, Malaysia and Sudan, the Jeddah-based institution said. This is the 15th year the prizes have been awarded.

“I would like to congratulate the winners of this year’s competition,” IDB President Bandar Hajjar said. “IDB is proud of their inspiring feats in the field of scientific and technological research. I hope that other universities and scientific centers in IDB’s member countries benefit from these admirable examples.”

The winners include Universitas Indonesia for overall outstanding contribution to social and economic development; the faculty of chemical and energy engineering, Universiti Teknologi, Malaysia, for most outstanding contribution in a given scientific field; and the faculty of medicine, University of Gezira, Sudan, for most noted scientific contribution from a least-developed member country.

This year’s prizes will be awarded at the 42nd annual meeting of the IDB board of governors in Jeddah May 17 to 18.

Since 2002, the cash prizes have been awarded to institutions in Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Egypt, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Morocco, Pakistan, Palestine, Senegal, Sudan, Tajikistan and Turkey.

The prize was established to promote science and technology excellence and capacity-building in IDB member countries.

Each year, three institutions are selected by an independent panel of eminent scientists outside the IDB to receive the prize in one of three categories.