JEDDAH: The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) signed a memorandum of understanding with King Abdulaziz University (KAU) on Tuesday in order to promote nanotechnology in IDB member states, projecting KAU’s nanotechnology center as a scientific reference.
Ahmed Muhammad Ali, president of IDB and KAU President Osama Tayeb signed the deal. According to an official statement issued after the signing, IDB will give scholarships to train Muslim scientists at the Jeddah university’s center. The MOU is one of the results of an international conference on nanotechnology organized by KAU in June 2008.
“We have launched this project after understanding the need of Muslim countries for this technology,” the statement said and emphasized the importance of training manpower for the purpose. The project will be implemented making use of the expertise of international centers as well as the resources of private and public sectors after building necessary infrastructure.
The IDB and KAU believe that such a project is essential in order to realize sustained social and economic development in the Islamic world. “The awareness campaign aims at creating a conducive atmosphere for the development of nanotechnology, especially those technologies that are friendly to human health and environment,” the statement said.
The campaign will be carried out in cooperation with OIC Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH) and other related bodies of the Organization of the Islamic Conference in order to promote awareness of member countries on nanotechnology.
It will make use of IDB prizes in science and technology to encourage research centers to conduct studies in nanotechnology. COMSTECH will ask KAU’s nanotechnology center to establish a scientific network linking such centers in the Muslim world. This network will be responsible for collecting and publishing information on research and development in nanotechnology in OIC countries.
Plans are also under way to organize regional conferences on nanotechnology for the benefit of decision-makers in both the private and public sectors and others.
