RESEARCH DIRECTORATE ANNUALANNUAL REPORTREPORT 2017 Possibilities. Potential. Progress www.kfas.org Private Non-Profit Organization Established in 1976 Financial contributions mainly from Kuwaiti Shareholding Companies (KSC) KFAS Board of Directors Chairman His Highness the Amir of the State of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Board Members: • Dr. Yousef Hamad Al-Ibrahim • Prof. Faiza M. Al-Kharafi • Mr. Mustafa Jasem Al-Shamali • Mr. Hani Abdulaziz Hussain • Dr. Salah Abdul Latif Al-Ateeqi • Mr. Osama M. Al Nisf • Mr. Khalid Khider Al-Mashaan Director General Adnan A. Shihab-Eldin Research Directorate Staff Essam Al-Sayed Omar Director RD Team • Dr. Ameenah Farhan • Shafiqa A. Al-Awadi • Johaina A. Al-Hamdan • Khaled Al-Awadhi • Dina Al-Nakib • Manal S. Al-Ebraheem • Anwar O. Bin Amer • Nourah Al-Zaidan • Fajer Al-Turki • Yousef Aleneze • Batol Dhawi • Somaya Al Kandari • Mohammed Shaker • Sawsan M. Sayed • Mirvette M. Samara • Shaymaa Al-Shkaili • Nadia H. Masri • Sunita V. D’Souza • Hadia M. Saker • Hind Abdullatif • Sheikh Zahid Ali Table of Contents Table of Contents THE DIRECTOR GENERAL’S MESSAGE 10 RESEARCH DIRECTORATE (RD) 12 1. STATISTICAL PROFILE 14 Annual Statistical Indicators (2017) 15 Key Performance Indicators (2017) 16 Comparative Indicators (2013-2017) 18 Cumulative Indicators (1978-2017) 19 2 .Funding Scientific Research 20 Research Project Submission (Proposal) 20 Research Project Evaluation and Funding Mechanisms 20 Research Project Execution 20 3. Documentation & Dissemination of Scientific Information 20 PEER-REVIEWER INSTITUTIONS 22 Scientific Programs Research Grant Program 24 Capacity Building Program 150 Flagship Projects Program 167 Collaborative Research Unit 176 INDEX: LIST OF PROJECTS 182 RESEARCH DIRECTORATE | The Director General’s Message The Director The Director General’s Message The Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of including one patent, with 56% being in tier 1 scientific General’s Sciences (KFAS), was established by an Amiri Decree, journals. In addition, the Directorate also supported as a private non-profit organization to support and research projects involving stem cell research and promote the advancement of the Kuwaiti society any other alternative therapies, which led to the through science, technology and innovation (STI). development of differentiation protocols that offer Message Through the pledge of the private sector share- hope for stem-cell based therapies and regenerative holding companies to fund the Foundation, based medicine. The Foundation was also involved in a on a percentage of their annual profits (currently at number of pilot projects, including the photovoltaic 1%), and the incorporation of a unique governance solar energy project, focused on energy efficiency and modality, in which the Board of Directors is chaired global energy decarbonization, along with promoting and appointed by the Amir of Kuwait, H. H. Sheikh the increased use of renewable energy. This project Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, KFAS continues was established to support and bring to fruition the to catalyze the development of an effective STI system vision of His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al- and culture in the State of Kuwait. The Foundation's Ahmad Al-Sabah, in meeting the 15% target of Kuwait's role is to promote and support the development of energy demand.. national human resources that contribute to building a solid foundation for STI and encourage a culture of The 2017 achievements of the Directorate continue research and development within national academic to demonstrate the Foundation’s commitment to and research institutions. The goal is to help raise the catalyzing the growth and development of the country quality of research and drive innovative solutions to by advancing and fostering an effective and strong address national challenges. The Foundation also STI system and research culture in Kuwait. Finally, it aims to assist the government in funding research is very important to appreciate the positive impact, and to complement the government's support for and the continued generous contributions of the research activity within the budget of its institutions private sector to support the Foundation’s initiatives, and bodies, such as the Kuwait Institute for Scientific programs and vision. Research, Kuwait University and the Ministry of Health. The role of the Research Directorate is to promote and advance research in Kuwait through funding grants, fostering human capital development, and deploying novel and innovative technologies for the welfare of the society and its people. The Directorate’s programs are aimed at promoting the cooperation between national research institutions and key strategic partnerships, both regionally and internationally, to advance research and innovation, and promote a vital research culture. This also includes establishing collaborative efforts to find suitable solutions to meet the most promising innovations in the field of technological applications. The Research Directorate has reached new milestones in recent years, through national research collaborations and prestigious global partnerships. The implementation of a new policy for the semi-annual announcement of proposals for financing new research projects has given the Research Directorate a greater opportunity to ensure quality in the research funded, and alignment with national priorities, in line with the Kuwait National Development Plan. To date, the Foundation has supported over 1,144 research projects, totaling over 50 million KWD In 2017, 66 new research projects where funded, totaling 2.4 million KWD, focused on energy, water, environment and health, including pressing societal issues, such as violence against women and children. The grants provided by the Foundation in both the Dr. Adnan A. Shihab-Eldin public and private sectors, resulted in 32 publications Director General 10 11 RESEARCH DIRECTORATE | Research Directorate (RD) Research Prior to the end of the strategic period (2012 – 2016), KFAS employees Research were assigned the important task of formulating new strategic Directorate documents to steer the efficient operation of their directorates. In light of the programmatic feedback received; the Research Directorate Directorate (RD) was restructured into three core programs and two supporting units; to capitalize on human capital and directorate expertise in addition to meeting the overarching aims of national research capacity (RD) building and support of research endeavors that address challenges of national priority. In its new structure, the Research Directorate encompasses the Research Grants Program which continues to invest in supporting high quality research of national priority through a number of grant schemes. The Research Capacity Building Program is a new addition to the directorate, housing initiatives that target the skills and performance of the research community; these include scientific missions, workshops and training opportunities, and supplementary grants to support the research thesis element of graduate degrees. Finally, the Flagship Projects Program extends the impact of the Directorate to the nation through its support of pilot and demonstration projects that implement research outcomes in the form of advanced technologies that offer sustainable solutions to issues of national priority. The Collaborative Research Unit is a new arm to the Directorate engaged in the management of collaborative research megaprojects which are jointly executed by international and home institutions, examples of which include research projects under the Kuwait-MIT agreement. To support the diversity of initiatives under the umbrella of Research, the Research Support Unit is immersed in offering administrative assistance, financial monitoring and the collection of key performance metrics to provide feedback which undergirds the continuous improvement of programmatic activities. 12 13 RESEARCH DIRECTORATE | RESEARCH DIRECTORATE | Statistical Profile Statistical 1. Annual Statistical Indicators (2017) During the fiscal year, KFAS funded 66 new research projects under three major programs, namely, the Profile Research Grant Program, Capacity Building Program, and Flagship Projects Program. The total funds approved by KFAS for the new projects in basic and applied research amounted to K.D. 2,327,833. Table (1) depicts the distribution of funds allocated to newly approved research projects under the major programs. Table (1): KFAS’ Contribution to New Research Projects (2017) Program Projects Amount in (KD) Research Grant Program 58 1,954,390 Capacity Building Program 3 28,085 Flagship Projects Program 5 345,358 TOTAL 66 2,327,833 Table (2): Program Projects Amount in (KD) General Grants 28 1,246,439 National Priorities Projects 12 579,341 Exploratory Projects 18 128,610 TOTAL 58 1,954,390 The following Table enlists the beneficiaries of the newly approved funds during the fiscal year 2017: Table (3): Beneficiaries of the New Research Grants (2017) KFAS contribution Institutions Projects (KD) Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research 19 829,263 Kuwait University 19 953,408 Ministry of Health 3 78,966 Gulf University for Science and Technology 10 162,205 Public Authority for Applied Education and Training 3 52,554 Kuwait College of Science and Technology 3 63,900 Kuwait Municipality 2 13,955 FAWSEC Educational Company 2 5,685 Public Authority for Food and Nutrition 1 73,555 The en.v Initiative 1 21,790 Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, UK 1