AMMAN -- The government is looking into a scheme under which companies in the Kingdom will contribute one per cent of their profits to finance scientific projects and transform into feasible, money-generating ventures in implementation of His Majesty King Abdullah's vision.
Speaking to the press yesterday, following the King's visit to an exhibition displaying scientific projects, Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Khalid Touqan said the Monarch ordered the institutionalisation of efforts supporting scientific research.
The minister noted that a law awaiting endorsement entails the creation of a fund to support scientific research.
"After the endorsement of the law, which is expected in March, the government will activate a law, which has been shelved for along time, to finance this fund," Touqan said.
The law entails deducting 1 per cent of public and private company profits for this fund.
According to Touqan, the fund seeks to expand activities related to scientific research and involve the private sector to support scientific projects and help commercialise these projects and market them.
It is also intended to involve the Kingdom's universities and colleges in the development process.
Referring to the fair, where mechatronic, industrial, electrical, mechanical and medical engineering projects created by students from the Kingdom's private and public universities were on display, Touqan said the event is part of the King's vision to support scientific research and link it to industry and development needs.
"Intelligent Autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicle," one of the projects at the fair, was created by students from the University of Jordan's engineering faculty.
"After we came up with the idea for the project, we started thinking about how to finance it. Then, my colleagues and I went to an office of the King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau (KADDB) in the university and told them about our requirements," Yara W. Shaban, one of the students who created the project, told The Jordan Times.
"KADDB financed the first stage of our project at a cost of JD7,500. I am really grateful to KADDB, which not only financed our project, but also gave us hope and provided us with an opportunity to implement our project," said the engineer.
During a visit to King Abdullah II Fund for Development (KAFD) last week, the Monarch launched a programme to support scientific research in applied sciences in order to boost local industries.
The King, who donated the necessary funds for the project, said the programme should target teaching staff at universities and higher education students who carry out research aimed at developing products to advance the Kingdom's industrial sector.
Besides the University of Jordan, the Jordan University of Science and Technology, Yarmouk University, Balqa Applied University, Philadelphia University, Al Isra University, Muta University, Hashemite University and Al Zaytoonah University participated in yesterday's exhibition.
The Jubilee School also took part the event, which was organised by KAFD in collaboration KADDB.
Touqan said the exhibition would be held annually.
By Mohammad Ghazal
© Jordan Times 2006
