National Association for Science and Research (NASR) Activities Report 2022
NASR Activities Report 2022
NASR activities in 2022: challenging difficulties to make the world a better place
The National Association for Science and Research (NASR) has been a key player in science innovation, student engagement, and entrepreneurship in the Middle Eastern Region for over 19 years. NASR is the International Federation of Inventors’ Associations Focal Point in the Middle East and is most prominently known for hosting the National Science Fair Mobarat ElOloum. In addition to hosting the fair, NASR invites inventors of the world to participate in the annual Beirut International Innovation Show, which aims to become a global leading venue for Innovators, Inventors, and Investors with a strong emphasis on Technology Transfer and Research Valorization. This year, the exhibition will take place between 26 and 28 May 2022, online.
Mobarat ElOloum 2022 happened between Thursday, March 31st and Saturday, April 2nd, through a digital system developed by NASR and Microsoft Teams, where Lebanese students challenged the difficult circumstances with innovation and creativity through distinctive inventions. More than 150 students from 50 secondary and middle schools, public and private, participated in more than 60 scientific and innovative projects.
Therefore, Lebanese inventor have proved themselves leaders in innovation by winning several medals in different international competitions. In the 72nd International Industrial Exhibition for Inventions and Innovations iENA 2021, which took place in the German city of Nuremberg between 4 and 7 November 2021. Three innovations participated from Lebanon and were able to win three prizes. The respiratory system “Nafs” for the Islamic University of Lebanon was able to win the silver medal of the exhibition and the medal of the German Inventors Association. This device is manufactured by Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ayyash, Engineer Lilian Al-Sahili, Engineer Asma Sarhan, Engineer Hussein Hazemeh, programmer Abbas Diab, and assistant programmer Hassan Shehadeh. The invention “the journey of carbon dioxide from a greenhouse gas to raw carbon deposits” was able to win the gold medal and the medal of the German Inventors Association for Youth. This project is produced by students Sana Fakih, Zainab Abdel-Sater, Tamara Qassem and Ms. Nada Hammadi from Al-Batool High School. The “sewage conqueror robot” won a bronze medal and the Portuguese Inventors Association Award. This robot was manufactured by students Majd Tarhini, Hassan Mikdad, Ali Kahil, and Mr Hadi Yassin from Al-Mustafa High School, Nabatieh.
Much more, Lebanon won a precious gold medal at the Malaysian International Technology Exhibition (MTE 2022), which happened between March 26 and April 1, 2022. The winning invention is the UV Warrior, which is a robot that sterilizes surfaces and air. It is for students Maya Badir, Khaimakan Omar, Ali Shehab, Lana Al-Faty, and Mr Ahmed Al-Masry from Tarik Eljdideh third official middle school. Along with that, NASR plays an important role in digital governance as it contributed to the preparation of the digital transformation strategy for the Lebanese Ministry of Labor, which regroups observation, evaluation, and recommendations.
In addition, as per her role in coordinating activities with inventors associations in the Arab World, NASR has managed the membership in IFIA of several associations from UAE and Saudi Arabia, in addition to its participation in their events. Therefore, NASR president Mr Radwan Chouaib has participated as a key speaker in the virtual conference entitled “Creativity and Innovation for Development”, which was held by the Arab Council for Creativity and Innovation on the occasion of the International Day of Creativity and Innovation in Omman, under the auspices of the Arab Union for Sustainable Development and the Environment, on Thursday, April 21st.
We can conclude that NASR has started to work for a brighter future for innovation and entrepreneurship in the Middle East, including educational and innovative programs for students and youth, concrete plans for technology transfer, and establishing relationships with institutions all over the region. All those efforts came in a difficult phase Lebanon and the world are phasing, with a minimum capital because we believe that this can make our world a better place.