HCST announces winners of 2024 Hassan Bin Talal Award

AMMAN — The Higher Council for Science and Technology (HCST) on Tuesday announced winners of the 2024 Hassan Bin Talal Award for Scientific Excellence, designated for higher education institutions, excluding vocational education.

The announcement coincided with the birthday of HRH Prince Hassan, president of the HCST, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The Hashemite University won the first prize of JD10,000 for its National Seed Bank initiative, followed by Al Hussein Technical University which clinched the second spot and a prize of JD7,000 for its Skills Improvement Programme.

The third prize of JD5,000 was awarded to the Jordan University of Science and Technology for its project, “The Royal Initiative to Support Creative Projects in Nanotechnology”.

HCST Secretary-General Mashhour Rifai hailed the “groundbreaking” projects of the winning universities, acknowledging their significant contributions to propelling scientific advancements and boosting economic development.

Rifai highlighted the inception of the award in 1995, which was established to strengthen science and nurture scientific talent, thereby fostering excellence and innovation in educational, scientific, and technological domains.

Rifai pointed out that the award is granted annually on a rotating basis, following a three-year cycle that covers different categories: General education institutions (excluding vocational education), higher education institutions (excluding technical education), and vocational and technical education institutions.

Sahar Fakhoury, the director of the award, said that this year’s edition saw participation from 13 institutions with a total of 32 projects. She also announced that submissions for the 2025 award, designated for vocational-technical education institutions, are now open. The deadline for e-applications on the council’s website is set for the end of January 2025.

The award committee was chaired by HRH Princess Sarvath Al Hassan and comprised six experienced and specialised figures.