Under the patronage of HRH Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan, President of the Royal Scientific Society (RSS), the British Embassy in Amman, through its Newton-Khalidi Fund in-country team, convened a celebratory event hosted by the RSS entitled, “Enhancing the Impact of Newton-Khalidi Fund Programmes – The Way Forward”.

The event was opened by their excellencies the British Ambassador, Mr Edward Oakden and Dr Dia-Eddin Arafah, Secretary General of the Higher Council for Science and Technology, the co-chairs of the Newton Khalidi Fund Steering Committee. Afterwards, HRH Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan delivered a keynote address celebrating the role of the Newton-Khalidi Fund as an enabler of science across continents and a visionary tool of real and meaningful Science Diplomacy.

“The innovative programmes that continue to emerge from this wonderful partnership are helping to unlock talent through engagement, collaboration and mentorship,” said the Princess. “It is a model that truly unites those from differing social and cultural backgrounds through the common language of Science.”

The event which was hosted by the RSS was attended by their Excellencies the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the Minister of Planning and International Cooperation in addition to representatives of the Newton-Khalidi Fund partners: the Higher Council for Science and Technology (HCST), the implementing body on behalf of the Government of Jordan for which the RSS acts as the technical arm, as well as Scientific Research Deanships from various Jordanian universities, and the awardees of Newton-Khalidi Fund Programmes..

The daughter and granddaughter of the late Dr Usama Al-Khalidi were special guests at the event - The Newton Fund in Jordan is named in honour of Dr Usama. The Newton-Khalidi Fund is underpinned by an agreement between MoPIC and the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

During the event, HRH Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan, acknowledged both HE Dr Khaled Elshuraydeh, Former Secretary General of the Higher Council for Science and Technology and HE Ambassador Edward Oakden, The British Ambassador, for their outstanding efforts during the past two years for co-chairing the steering committee of the Newton Khalidi Fund.

The Fund was launched at the 8th World Science Forum, hosted by the RSS at the Dead Sea in November 2017.  It is designed to promote economic development and social cohesion in Jordan by supporting research collaboration between Jordanian and UK-educated and trained scientists, researchers and engineers. The Fund’s ethos is that international partnerships bring together the brightest thinkers and innovators to solve key global challenges and change lives now and for generations to come.

Presentations at the event included an update on current Newton-Khalidi Fund programmes, a brief on upcoming opportunities, and a discussion on how to maximize the Fund’s impact. Also, Dr Gayathri Warnasuriya, Newton-Khalidi Fund Manager at the British Embassy, announced that the Newton Prize 2020 will open on 10th March 2020 to recipients of Newton funding in Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Kenya and South Africa. The annual £1m Newton Prize was created to celebrate and further encourage the partnerships that UK researchers have forged with their colleagues in Newton Fund partner countries, including Jordan