The Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU), in line with the UAE National Advanced Sciences Agenda 2031 and it’s vision to become a global hub for innovative and integrated healthcare research at the service of humanity, is launching the MBRU-Al Mahmeed Collaborative Research Award 2018. The initiative, first of its kind at MBRU, has been made possible by a generous donation from Dr. Wael Abdulrahman Al Mahmeed.

The MBRU-Al Mahmeed Collaborative Research Award is a competitive research funding opportunity aimed at advancing research in key areas of healthcare need in the UAE, as well as promoting partnerships between MBRU faculty and researchers from recognized GCC Universities and healthcare institutions. The award will support competitive proposals of basic, translational or clinical, and public health research. Priority will be given to proposals in the areas of cancer biology, mental health & brain sciences, and cardio-metabolic diseases (including diabetes mellitus and obesity). However, competitive proposals in other areas of health and biomedical sciences relevant to the GCC region may be considered.

The award is open to MBRU faculty members as well as investigators from recognized Universities and healthcare institutions within the GCC. To be eligible, external investigators should submit proposals in collaboration with MBRU faculty. Funding may be granted for up to 2 years and up to 300k AED for laboratory based projects and 150k AED for non-laboratory based projects. The research proposals will be peer-reviewed by external reviewers, and interested applicants must apply by September 16, 2018.

MBRU’s Dean of the College of Medicine, Professor Alawi Alsheikh-Ali stated, “We’re very happy to announce the MBRU-Al Mahmeed Collaborative Research Award in collaboration with Dr. Wael Abdulrahman Al Mahmeed, whose generous donation made this a reality. As physicians we work tirelessly to find solutions to prevalent diseases, and we believe that this award will give talented researchers the opportunity to conduct scientific research not only in the UAE but the region. It is also our hope that this award will encourage and inspire others in the community to contribute to scientific research. Part of Dr. Al Mahmeed’s donation will be allocated to the MBRU Endowment Fund which will ensure MBRU’s continuous investment in health research and education well into the future.”

Dr. Wael Abdulrahman Al Mahmeed, an Emirati cardiologist who generously donated 1 million AED to the award said, “The MBRU-Al Mahmeed Collaborative Research Award allows for collaborative efforts between medical professionals in the UAE and the GCC region. I believe that this type of collaboration will generate a number of outstanding proposals. Ultimately, the aim is to come up with great research on prevalent diseases in the region, thus aiding medical professionals in finding solutions.”