Petra, Jordan (June 18, 2008) - The King Abdullah II Fund for Development today announced that the Middle East Science Fund initiated last year at the Third Petra Conference of Nobel Laureates will begin channeling support to graduate student research projects in the sciences during the upcoming 2008-2009 academic year.

The Middle East Science Fund is an initiative of His Majesty King Abdullah II to support education in the sciences throughout the region. The fund, with an initial capital of $10 million, will be deployed to support the research of students pursuing a master's degree in the sciences. Support will foster multinational cooperation in a not-for-profit framework. It will also facilitate cooperation and collaboration among scientists from universities around the region. The fund will target research endeavors geared to coping with some of the Middle East's most pressing, trans-national development challenges: energy and renewable energy sources, water management, the environment, health and technology.

"The Science Fund is the product of three consecutive Petra Nobel Laureates Conferences", said Tarik Awad, director of the King Abdullah II Fund for Development (KAFD), addressing His Majesty King Abdullah II and participants gathered today at the opening ceremony of the Fourth Petra Conference of Nobel Laureates. "With the cooperation of Nobel Laureates we will ensure the science fund delivers its full potential".

The fund is registered under the umbrella of KAFD and based in Amman. It is managed by a five-member board of directors and a regional executive committee. An international advisory council of Nobel Laureates will volunteer guidance on policy matters and review research proposals recommended jointly by the King Abdullah II Fund for Development and the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity to determine their eligibility for support.

During his address to the opening ceremony of the Petra Nobel Laureates Conference, King Abdullah commended the launch of the Middle East Science Fund as the crystallization of the Petra conference spirit.

"The fund addresses a vital need of the developing world to achieve the growth and spread of advanced scientific knowledge, especially about the practical issues that most concern our region's future," he said.

The following are the executive and advisory board members:
Jordanian members of MESF Executive Board of Directors

• Dr. Adnan Badran, Senator, President of Petra University
• Dr. Kahled Toukan, Chairman, Jordan Atomic Energy Commission
• Dr. Mohammad Abu Qudais, President, Yarmuk University
• Mazen Darwazah, CEO MENA Region, Hikma Pharmaceuticals
• Tarik Awad, Director, King Abdullah II Fund for Development


International Advisory Council

• Peter Agre, Nobel Laureate, Chemistry, 2003
• Richard Axel, Nobel Laureate, Medicine, 2004
• John B. Fenn, Nobel Laureate, Chemistry, 2002
• David J. Gross, Nobel Laureate, Physics, 2004
• Harold Kroto, Nobel Laureate, Chemistry, 1996
• Finn E. Kydland, Nobel Laureate, Economics, 2004
• Robert C. Merton, Nobel Laureate, Economics, 1997
• Robert A. Mundell, Nobel Laureate, Economics, 1999
• Ferid Murad, Nobel Laureate, Medicine, 1998
• Marshall W. Nirenberg, Nobel Laureate, Medicine, 1968
• Norman F. Ramsey, Nobel Laureate, Physics, 1989
• Robert C. Richardson, Nobel Laureate, Physics, 1996
• Richard J. Roberts, Nobel Laureate, Medicine, 1993
• Elie Wiesel, Nobel Laureate, Peace, 1986
• Torsten Wiesel, Nobel Laureate, Medicine, 1981