The Covid-19 Research Programme initiated in March 2020 by the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation (MoHERI), has been progressing successfully. Some projects are complete, while others are underway to make recommendations that may support future policies, according to the Research and Innovation wing of the ministry.
The programme was launched in collaboration with various academic and governmental research institutions. As many as 28 research projects were funded last June at a total cost of RO 280,000.
Speaking to the Observer, Dr Salah al Zadjali, Director of the Programme, stated that the programme has been progressing very well and several projects have been fully completed. “Examples of such projects include, assessing the effectiveness of the provision of psychological services during the pandemic online, making a smart mask, and using drones and artificial intelligence to detect possible cases of Covid-19,” Dr Salah said.
Other completed projects are about developing prediction and forecasting systems. These projects are monitored by both MoHERI and the partner research institutes.
The programme is expected to be finalised by July. The principal investigators of these research projects will be invited to talk about these achievements on TV and radio programmes.
“Additionally, a multi-sectoral workshop to share and disseminate the results of these studies with the organisations concerned will be conducted shortly,” Dr Salah added.
As for the National Strategy for Research and Development (NSRD) 2040, its action plan is taking shape, the strategic goal of which is to strengthen and support the national knowledge-based research and development systems, and also to enhance the integration between the various agents in this very interactive ecosystem.
Additionally, the NSRD emphasises on the importance of quality assurance and research excellence. These criteria will enable the country to achieve the targeted economic and social impacts and make research a cornerstone for sustainable development. This can be achieved by maximising the utilisation of available resources and the intellectual capital in the country.
The NSRD 2040 was approved as part of the 10th five-year plan of the Research and Innovation sector. It aims to create harmony between the National Innovation Strategy and Oman Vision 2040.
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