Grant to foster science and technology research in GCC and EU

ABU DHABI // The commercial arm of a federal university has won a slice of a European Commission grant to develop a co-operation network for science and technology. The Centre for Excellence in Applied Research and Training (Cert), which is linked to the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), was one of 18 members of a consortium that secured the grant.

The amount granted was not revealed. In a statement, Cert said the project aimed to promote dialogue between GCC and EU institutions. The Science and Technology International Co-operation Network for Gulf Co-operation Countries involves every nation in the Arabian Peninsula, plus Egypt and Morocco. Its aim is to make collaboration easier and identify what areas should be the highest priority for research, officials say.

Cert's role will be to bring other local institutions into the fold, running a workshop to educate officials about the project and organising an international conference. Other members of the consortium include the Higher Education Council of Bahrain, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Saudi Arabia and Qatar University. European members of the consortium include the University of Ferrara in Italy, Jonkoping University in Sweden and the International Association for Science Parks based in Spain.

Egypt's Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, the Research Council of Oman and the Political Development Forum in Yemen also are included in the project. The Higher Colleges of Technology have more than 16,000 students at branches across the UAE. Cert's headquarters are near Abu Dhabi Men's College in the capital. @Email:[e-mail]