HRH Prince Hassan, chairman of the Higher Council for Science and Technology (HCST), on Thursday honoured the winners of “El Hassan Bin Talal Award for Scientific Excellence”, as well as the members of the jury committee.

The award, which was founded in 1995, aims to encourage educational, scientific and technological endeavours in institutions concerned with education and training in Jordan, and to develop the performance of educational institutions, teachers and students.

In his speech delivered at the ceremony, HRH Prince Hassan said that enhancing the educational process and enabling students and teachers are a priority, in addition to strengthening schools’ technical capabilities. He pointed out that technological progress is the “engine of creativity” which can help provide innovative and sustainable solutions to current problems.

During the ceremony, attended by HRH Prince Raad and HRH Princess Rahma, who was deputising for the President of the award HRH Princess Sarvath, Prince Hassan highlighted Jordan’s role in hosting large numbers of refugee students, despite the limited national possibilities and the minimal international support, praising the efforts of the Education Ministry.

He stressed the importance of focusing on establishing the concept of heritage and human identity among children and working to build a generation aware of its responsibilities.

HCST Secretary General Khalid Shraideh said that some 25 applicants from 14 higher education institutions took part in the competition, and that members of the jury were chosen based on the fields and subjects of the projects. 

The first award was granted to the Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) for its project titled “Initiating and Developing a Referral Diagnostic Laboratory for Transboundary Animal Diseases, and Abortive and Neonatal Diseases”, while the second prize was shared between Petra University for its project dubbed “Development of oral insulin delivery system”, and the University of Jordan for its “Cell Therapy Centre”.

The Hashemite University’s “The University Academic Nursery” project and the Al Hussein Bin Talal University’s “The role of Petra College for tourism and archaeology in uncovering and introducing the cultural heritage of Jordan” proposal shared the third spot.