His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, inaugurated the Mohammed bin Rashid Medical Research Institute, the UAE’s first independent biomedical research centre.The facility, established with an initial investment of AED300 million, seeks to conduct research to address the COVID-19 pandemic and other viral diseases.
On the occasion of the inauguration, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said: “The new centreis an important addition tothe global network of research institutions. It is part of the UAE’s contribution to biomedical research in the worldand its research findings will be shared with other centres. The initiativecreates a specialised centreto conduct research that caters to our environment and responds to the health challenges facing our region.”
Part of the Al Jalila Foundation, an entity under the umbrella of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, the state-of-the-art facility’s objectivesinclude boosting medical innovation, accelerating the use of artificial intelligence to monitor new diseases and developing proactive plans to contain outbreaks. By establishing an integrated medical database using big data analysis techniques, the centreaims to support global efforts to find effective treatments and vaccines.
The Institute plans to contribute to global efforts to combat the pandemic by providing advanced equipment and funding to support pioneering research led by scientists, specialists and experts. By supporting talented scientists and investing in ground-breaking research, the Institute will also contribute to developing the next generation of innovators in health sciences as well as advancing medical research and innovation for the benefit of the world.The new facility seeks to forge local and global partnerships with research institutions specialised in biomedicine and medical innovation as part of its aim to utilise all possible resources and share pioneering research projects with specialists across the world.
The centre supports intellectual property rights for medical research and adheres to the frameworks governing procedures for registration of internationally-approved patents. It also seeks to promote partnerships to find treatments and vaccines for viral diseases and pandemics and make them available to people across the world.The UAE’s first medical research endowment is expected to bring a 4% return on investment amounting to AED10.5 million annually, which will be reinvested in healthcare and research programmes.
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