Within the framework of the University's role in serving the local community in the field of scientific research, Prof. Maamar Bettayeb, Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Studies, received Mr. Saeed Mubarak bin Amr, Director of Cooperatives Department at the Ministry of Economy in the United Arab Emirates, in order to discuss joint cooperation in the field of scientific and academic research in all economic fields.

At the beginning of the meeting, Bettayeb welcomed the visiting delegation to the University of Sharjah, stressing that the scientific research sector at the University has many cooperation relations and research partnerships with many entities and institutions in the United Arab Emirates. Many research teams in research institutes and centers are now working to achieve scientific research opportunities with those bodies. He explained that the University of Sharjah has a large number of experts and researchers in various scientific and academic disciplines, where the University aims through its strategic plan that it is currently working on to meet all the research needs of the UAE and contribute through the results of applied scientific research in developing solutions to many of the issues and topics that the authorities and local institutions need.

For his part, Mr. Saeed Mubarak bin Amr stressed the interest of the Ministry of Economy in building bridges of joint cooperation with the University of Sharjah in many common areas including conducting discreet scientific research that works to develop solutions to a number of economic issues in a way that contributes to improving the services provided by the Ministry. This includes the formation of a number of joint research teams to work on issues and topics whose priorities determine the relevant authorities in the Ministry of Economy, and its results can be directly benefited from, as it was agreed between the two sides to hold a number of workshops during the coming period to determine those research priorities and start implementing them.

The meeting was attended by Prof. Abdallah Shanableh, Director of the Institute of Sciences and Engineering Research; Prof. Abdalla F. El-Mneizel, Director of Research Institute of Humanities & Social Sciences (RIHSS); Dr. Chaouki Ghenai, Chairman of the Research Funding Department; Dr. Mohamed Al Hemairy, Head of the Technology Transfer Office; Dr. Manar Abu Talib, Chair of Research Outreach Department; and Malik Mahdawi, Director of the Community Cooperation Office. On the part of the Ministry of Economy, Shehinaz Al-Awadhi, Head of the Support Services Unit, and Mona Jumah Al-Dahmani from the Happiness Service Center in Sharjah, attended.