Date : 11/11/2006
KUN0017 4 GEN 0540 FRANCE /AFP -HFF9
SCI-KUWAIT-NANO
Arab Nobel nominee calls for Arab nanotechnology cooperation
By Muntaha Al-Fadhli
KUWAIT, Nov 11 (KUNA) -- Arab physicist and Nobel Physics Prize nominee Dr.
Mohammad El-Naschie called on Saturday upon Kuwait, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia to
form a nanotechnology authority as a scientific-economic model for the region.
Speaking to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), El-Naschie, who works at the
Frankfurt Institute of Advanced Studies and is a distinguished fellow of the
Frankfurt Association for the Advancement of Fundamental Research in Physics,
said, "There is still time for Arabs to follow suit after developed countries
in this field."
The professor, who was taking part in "Kuwait 1st Nano Technology
Conference" organized by Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) under
the patronage of Amiri Diwan Affairs Minister Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad
Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, said Arab states had the required human resources and
skills.
He explained that nanotechnology was the fifth generation of electronics
related to physics, chemistry, and biology, and that it was involved in all
industries such as medicine, electronics, engineering, and even in the
production of oil, foodstuff, and in construction.
Nanoscience and nanotechnology is a branch of science and engineering
devoted to the design, production, study of, and work with matter on an
ultra-small scale. One nanometer is one-millionth of a millimeter and a single
human hair is around 80,000 nanometers in width. This is the grey area between
classical and quantum mechanics and often involves physics, chemistry, biology
and other branches of science.
El-Naschie called for cooperation between the public and private sectors in
order to facilitate the three stages of scientific research: understanding
what was on hand, imitating it, and then incorporating innovation and
creativity.
Imitation, he said, was implemented by China, while creativity was
associated with the Western countries and Japan. Many Arab countries had yet
to complete the first stage, he said.
As for the greatest obstacle faced by the Arab world, the professor said it
was the lack of scientific management and policies that encouraged scientific
research.
He commended Kuwait for its support for scientific research in general,
noting that it allocated four percent of its GDP on this field which reflected
its keenness for scientific advancement. The US in comparison allocated three
percent, he said.
El-Naschie stressed that nano-technological advancement would serve toward
the advancement of the Arab region, whether it be in medicine, environment,
renewable energy sources, or production.
The one-day KISR conference was organized in cooperation with Kuwait
Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) and other sponsors.
Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) was established in 1967 and
came directly under the Cabinet. Its main objectives are to carry out applied
scientific research, especially related to industry, energy, agriculture, and
the national economy, to contribute to the economic and social development of
the state, and to advise the Government on the country's scientific research
policy.(end)
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