Winners 2025
Category 1: Arts Humanities Social Sciences, Communication & Business Administration, Other Disciplines with Contributions to STEM
| Project Title |
Researcher(s) |
University |
Grant |
| The Employee’s Well-being in the Era of AI: Insights Through the Lens of the Psychological Contract Theory |
Mona Alyami Eman Alyami |
Taif University / Saudi Electronic University KSA |
20,000AED |
| Bridging Expectations: Work-Life Integration of Emirati Women in the Higher Education Workforce |
Nidhi Oswal, Dr Mohamed Fteiha Dr Shaik Rehana Banu |
Liwa College / Abu Dhabi University / Windsor University UAE/Windsor |
10,000AED |
| Peace Journalism Effect on Taiwanese Audiences: An Experimental Study |
Zainab Abdul-Nabi |
Ahlia University - Bahrain |
10,000AED |
| Industry 4.0 Technologies for Sustainable Plastic Waste Management |
Rita Fernandez Ahmed Mohammed |
University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom UAE/ UK |
10,000AED |
| Digital Transformation and Banking Resilience: The Mediating Role of Revenue Diversification in MENA Bank |
Naima Lassoued, Houda Sassi Imen Khanchel |
Manouba University/ Carthage University Tunis |
10,000AED |
| Spatial Assessment of Refugees Integration through the Lens of UN Sustainable Urban Development: A Case Study of Amman's Abdali District Using SDG 11 Indicators. |
Ruba Alomary Anwar Al-Assaf |
Amman Arab University Jordan |
10,000AED |
| Resilience Among Lebanese Women with Breast Cancer: A Triangulated Study |
Myrna Doumit, Amal Rahi Marianne Majdalani |
American University of Beirut Lebanon |
10,000AED |
| Pixels of Prejudice: Decoding Embedded Biases in AI-Generated News Imagery and their Implications for Visual Journalism Toward an Algorithmic-Mediated Visual Framing |
Menna Elhosary |
University of London Egypt/ UK |
10,000AED |
| The Long-Term Impact of Stress and Childhood Trauma on Memory and Alzheimer's Disease Development in Women |
Dalia Bedewy, Eid Abo Hamza, Ahmed Moustafa Reham Amer |
Ajman University, Al Ain University, Bond University, Tanta University UAE/ Australia/ Egypt |
10,000AED |
| Influencing Women: Tracing the Impact of Female Leadership in the Islamic Financial Sector in Malaysia |
Sarah Tobin Zurina Bint Shafii |
University of Sussex, Chr. Michelsen Institute, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) Malaysia/Norway |
10,000AED |
| Female Religious Leaders and Green Pesantren: Educational and Cultural Approaches to Environment Issues in Indonesia |
Elma Haryani, Siti Badiah Muhamad Murtadlo |
Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University, Raden Intan State Islamic University, National Research and Innovation Agency Republic of Indonesia |
10,000AED |
Category 2: Medicine, Health Sciences, Pharmacy, Dentistry
| Project Title |
Researcher(s) |
University |
Grant |
| Prostaglandin EP1 Receptor Antagonist Improves Human Dental Pulp Stem Cell Functions: A potential Therapeutic for Pulp Regeneration |
Smriti Aryal Ac, Zuha Rizvi, Aghila Koippallil Gopalakrishnan Md Sofiqul Islam |
University of Sharjah/ RAK College of Dental Science |
20,000AED |
| Synthesis, Characterization, and Cardiotoxicity Screening of SARS-CoV-2 Nanoparticle Vaccine on Zebrafish |
Maha Al-Asmakh, Mona Mohsen Ayat Samir Hammad |
Qatar University/ University Hospital of Bern Qatar/ Switzerland |
20,000AED |
| Evaluating the Effect of Hypoxia on UHRF1 Expression and its Role in the Tumorigenesis of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma |
Ayesha Rifath, Raefa Abu Khouzam Prof. Salem Chouaib |
Gulf Medical University UAE |
10,000AED |
| Unraveling the Molecular Mechanisms of Copper and Zinc Doped Borate Bioactive Glasses: A Potential Approach for Minimizing Nosocomial Infections |
Sarah Fakher David Westenberg |
University of Missouri USA |
10,000AED |
| Engineering functional articular cartilage grafts using microtissues as biological building blocks |
Aliaa Karam Daniel Kelly |
Trinity College Dublin Ireland |
10,000AED |
| Leveraging Machine Learning for Peptide-Based Antibacterial Discovery: A Comparative Study |
Safaa Ech-Cheikh Soumia Ziti |
Mohammed V University Morocco |
10,000AED |
| Targeting PAR-2 for Enhanced Chemosensitivity: Leveraging Curcumin and Oleocanthal to Overcome Drug Resistance in Colorectal Cancer |
Rajashree Patnaik Yajnavalka Banerjee |
Mohammed Bin Rashid University (MBRU) UAE |
10,000AED |
| Unveiling the Molecular Mechanisms of Oncohistones: Impact of H3.3 G34 and K36M Mutations on Pediatric Tumors |
Margret Shirinian Sarah Mantash |
American University of Beirut Lebanon |
10,000AED |
| Artificial Intelligence for Diagnosis and Grading of Prostate Cancer in UAE |
Zainab Al Shareef Dmitry Mikhaylov Rula Al-Shahrabi |
University of Sharjah UAE |
10,000AED |
| Development of a Novel Omega Fatty Acid-Based Exercise Mimetic: Targeting PPARdelta and AMPKa for Enhanced Muscle Metabolism and Cardiometabolic Health |
Fatema Alrashed, Halemah Alsaeed Rasheed Ahmad |
Dasman Diabetes Institute Kuwait |
10,000AED |
Category 3: Computing & Informatics, Bioinformatics, Biomedical Engineering, Engineering
| Project Title |
Researcher(s) |
University |
Grant |
| Resilient Infrastructures and Coordinated Emergency Response (RICER): A GIS and AI-Integrated Approach for Forest Fire Management in Ifrane Province |
Houda Chakiri Ibtissam Latachi |
Univesrsité Sidi Mohammed ben Abdellah Morocco |
20,000AED |
| TyphoonX: Towards Social Game Learning Analytics for Innovative and Inclusive Learning |
Nesrine Ben Yahia Imen Ayari Rasha Friji |
RIADI Laboratory-ENSI-University of Manouba Tunisia |
10,000AED |
| Advancing Zero-Shot and Few-Shot Learning for Arabic and Code-Switched NLP Tasks: Enhancing Understanding of Daily Life Interactions and Addressing Data Scarcity |
Caroline Sabty, Mohamed Eyad Alia El Bolock |
German International University/ American University in Cairo Egypt |
10,000AED |
| Human-Centered Autonomous Vehicles: Enhancing Passenger Trust and Comfort through rPPG, Theory of Mind, and Explainable AI |
Soha Ahmed Fady Alnajjar Katrien Verbert Medha Parambil |
KU Leuven University/ UAEU UAE/Belgium |
10,000AED |
| Applying Reinforcement Learning for Sequential Decision-Making in Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnosis |
Nidal Drissi Mohamed Adel Serhani Rachida Dssouli |
Concordia University/ UoS Canada/ UAE |
10,000AED |
| A New Framework Using Blockchain and IoT to Enhance Trust Management in Halal Supply Chain |
Zainab S. Attarbashi, Azana Hafizah Mohd Aman Aisha Abdalla |
International Islamic University Malaysia/ Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia |
10,000AED |
| KebayaAE: A New Design of Lightweight Cryptography to Empower the Future of Quantum Safe Information Security |
Norziana Jamil Yasir Amer Abbas |
UAEU / Universiti Tenaga Nasional / University of Diyala UAE/ Iraq |
10,000AED |
| AI-Driven Air Quality Forecasting for Sharjah and the Northern Emirates: A Comparative Study on Pollution Patterns and Environmental Management |
Siva Durga Adduri, Dr. Hana Sulieman Dr. Fatin Samara |
American University of Sharjah UAE |
10,000AED |
| SOPHIE: Smart Optimization for Personal Health with Intelligent Embodied AI Robot |
Ruilin Zhou Sohaila Mohammed Yi Fang |
New York University (NYU) UAE |
10,000AED |
| Conversion of Agrifood Waste into Biodegradable and Recyclable Bioplastics for a Sustainable Circular Economy |
Khaoula Khwaldia Cyrine Amara Safa Baraketi |
National Institute of Research and Physicochemical Analysis (INRAP) Tunisia |
10,000AED |
| Sustainable 3D Printing: Developing Eco-Friendly Materials for Additive Manufacturing |
Sheymaa Alazzawi Sajda S Alsaedi |
University of Diyala/ University of Technology Iraq |
10,000AED |
| A New Life for Metallic Manufacturing Waste as Additive Manufacturing Feedstock |
Alya Alhammadi Christopher Tuck Nesma Aboulkhair Jon Mckechnie Rafael Casas |
Technology Innovation Institute (TII) / University of Nottingham UAE/ UK |
10,000AED |
| Removal of the Fluoroquinolone Antibiotic Levofloxacin from Pharmaceutical Wastewater Using Photocatalytic Oxidation With Recoverable CoFe2O4 @ ZnO Nanocomposites |
Donia Abdel Nasser Ahmed El-Gendy |
American University in Cairo Egypt |
10,000AED |
| An Eco-Friendly Strategy for Water Pollution Control: Dye Removal Using Natural Polymers and Metals |
Seyda Tugba Gunday, Aljawharah Adel Alag, Ismail Anil Omer Aga |
Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University- Saudi Arabia |
10,000AED |
| Revolutionizing Cognitive Cities Infrastructure: Integrating Renewable Energy and AI in-line with D33 and UN SDGs– A Strategic Blueprint for Sustainable Ancillary Services in the U.A.E. |
Maisam Wahbah, Muhammad Haris Khalid, Abdulla Ismail Alzarouni Tareg Ghaoud |
UD/ DEWA/ RIT UAE |
10,000AED |
| A Multidisciplinary Approach to Assess the Status and Conservation Needs of Cetaceans in UAE Water |
Ada Natoli, Bryana Cope, Caitlin McFarlane Pooja Balaji |
Zayed University UAE |
10,000AED |
| Advancing CO2 Capture and Photocatalytic Conversion through Ferrite Quantum Dots (QDs)/ Mg-MOF-74 to Value-Added Products |
Israa Othman, Nagy Torad, Giovanni Palmisano Fawzi Banat Mohammad Abu Haija |
Khalifa University UAE |
10,000AED |
| Advanced Pollutant Degradation Using HRP@UiO-66-NH2: From Enzyme/MOF Synergy to a 100 L Bioreactor |
Khadega Al-Maqdi Lamia Siddig |
UAE University UAE |
10,000AED |
| Molecular Characterization of Oil-Degrading Microbes: Biotechnological Advancements and Applications |
Arwa Al-Hadhrami Adhari Al-Kalbani Daniel Blackburn |
Sultan Qaboos University Oman |
10,000AED |
| Machine Learning-Driven Design of Transition Metal Catalysts for Fuel Cell Applications |
Dr.Mahreen Arooj, Dr. Tanveer Ul Haq Sarina Hashim |
University of Sharjah UAE |
10,000AED |
| Manufacturing a Redox Supercapacitor by Thionine Combined with Graphene Oxide Nanoribbons via Various Methods to Stimulate Supercapacitor and Electrocatalytic Water Splitting Applications |
Asmaa Heiba Mohammed Abdel-Salam Ehab Elsawy |
American University in Cairo Egypt |
10,000AED |
Category 4: Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) Special Track
| Project Title |
Researcher(s) |
University |
Grant |
| Smart Radar-Based Deep Learning System for Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) of Underground Pipelines |
Maha Yaghi Jawad Yousaf, Mohammed Ghazal Taimur Hassan |
Abu Dhabi University UAE
|
20,000AED |