‘Nominate people who have grown the Emirates’
▶ People encouraged to take part in the Mohammed bin Rashid Awards
The public has been asked to help in finding people who deserve to be recognised for their part in UAE’s rapid growth as a centre of knowledge.
The Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Award, named after the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, has been thrown open to nominations from the people.
Those vying for the first two editions of the award, which was launched in 2015, were nominated by the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Foundation.
“Now the community will have more of a say in this and it’s a more objective point of view,” said Jamal bin Huwaireb, the foundation’s chief executive. “This is the right way of doing this.
“It’s the first year that it’s open-ended. I hope we’ll get thousands of applications. The idea is that it’ll be a lot better than us choosing.
“The award is international and we’re working closely with global foundations in many fields, including physics, chemistry, literature, economics, peace, as well as electronics and others.”
Sheikh Mohammed has been a leader in transforming Dubai and the country into a knowledge economy, in line with the UAE’s Vision 2021.
An award shortlist of 20 to 25 people will be drafted next month or in October before the winner is selected at the Knowledge Summit in November.
Mr bin Huwaireb also detailed some of the major, rapid changes in the knowledge sector to Dubai and the UAE as a whole since its formation in 1971, guided by the vision and determination of the country’s Rulers.
“Most people were not educated and there were maybe only 40 graduates,” he said. “But the Rulers changed the face of the UAE from nothing to what you see today.
“There were barely any roads, schools and hospitals and they did not have a high standard. There was very little knowledge, no research centres and no management skills.”
The country’s academic level was also considered low, Mr bin Huwaireb said.
“We changed the skills and built the knowledge in this age,” he said.
“We became leaders in different skills, especially in government.”
Some of the past winners, who Mr bin Huwaireb said “changed our lives”, include Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web; Jimmy Wales, the co-founder of Wikipedia; and Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s clean-energy company, for its work in providing a sustainable future.
Mr bin Huwaireb said Dubai was now a city of knowledge.
“The UAE Government is putting a lot of money into knowledge infrastructure but it’s not enough, we need to continue,” he said.
“Without knowledge, there is no good economy and no future. The way of knowledge is the way of the future and to be something in 2050 and beyond, we need to go ahead.”
The foundation and the United Nations will together launch the International Knowledge Index in November, ranking 190 countries.
“The UAE is sponsoring it and there will be a number of workshops in Paris, New York and China on this,” Mr bin Huwaireb said.
“It’s important for all countries to know where they stand in knowledge today and they have to continue their work or they will be left out.”
Hessa Al Mazrui, a 25-year-old Emirati engineer, hopes to contribute to her country’s knowledge sector in the future.
“Our leaders have outlined the significance of knowledge for now and for the future,” Ms Al Mazrui said.
“We have to be able to base our future on this because it’s a solid pillar that gives the UAE a certain strength in the global arena.
“I’m hoping to be able to work in clean energy in the future and help my country achieve that.”
People can submit an application for the award in English or Arabic at atknowledgeaward.com.
The deadline is August 31.
Now the community will have more of a say in this and it’s a more objective point of view. This is the right way of doing this