“Currently, scientific diplomacy is of major importance in the world and we must develop scientific diplomacy and communications between scientific institutions, research centers and universities,” Vahid Ahmadi, Deputy Head of Research and Technology of the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology said.
According to the Public Relations Department of Mustafa (PBUH) Prize, Vahid Ahmadi considered the shares of Islamic countries in producing science as an indicator of scientific advancement, saying “the current shares of Islamic countries in producing science is 6.7 percent, 1.57 percent of which is the share of Iran. However, the contribution of Islamic countries with more than 1.5 billion people is not significant and should be around 20 percent. But the contribution share of Iran is acceptable and more than the average of Islamic countries.”
He referred to Mustafa (PBUH) Prize as an invaluable initiative for establishing scientific diplomacy and added, “currently, scientific diplomacy is of major importance in the world and we must further develop scientific diplomacy and communications between scientific institutions, research centers and universities. Of course, Mustafa Prize must be accompanied with a set of processes, otherwise it wouldn’t be successful.”
Ahmadi considered Mustafa (PBUH) Prize as a driving force to the scientific development of the country and continued, “communication of Islamic world students, development of communication policies between scientific institutions and research centers and establishment of supporting funds such as endowment fund of Mustafa (PBUH) Prize result in a driving force in scientific development.”
He explained the effects of endowment on research and scientific development, saying “currently, certain measures are being taken in the field of scientific endowment. A society called Advocates of Science and Technology is active in this field. This year, during the Week of Research, one day was named after supporters of science and technology. Generally, endowment has a very crucial role in scientific development of an Islamic society. It must be further developed and contributors must be invited to participate in such initiatives.”
In response to a question about the comparability of Mustafa (PBUH) Prize as a top science and technology award to other international awards such as Nobel Prize, Ahmadi said, “I believe we shouldn’t be thinking of replacing international awards such as Nobel Prize with Mustafa Prize. On the contrary, Muslims must be encouraged and supported to work harder and receive other international awards as well. But Mustafa Prize creates an opportunity for Muslim scholars to compete. Scientists who have important scientific achievements are introduced during this award and this could be a means to introduce them to other international awards. I think the goal of Mustafa Prize is not to compete with other international awards, it is more of a tool for strengthening scientific diplomacy and bolding the position of Muslim scholars.”
The first round of Mustafa (PBUH) Scientific Prize will take place on 24-29 Dec. 2015 in Tehran, Iran.
MS/PR
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