Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation
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The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF) was founded on May 19, 2007 by
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (; born 15 July 1949) is an Emirati politician and royal who is the current ruler of Dubai, and serves as the Vice President of the United Arab Emirates, vice president and Prime Minister of the United Arab ...
, Vice President and Prime Minister of the
UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a federal elective monarchy made up of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi serving as i ...
and Ruler of
Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
. Sheikh Mohammed stated that the money is meant to bridge the knowledge gap between the Arab region and the developed world, improving the standard of education and research in the region, developing leadership programs for youth, and stimulating job creation. Jamal bin Huwaireb is the CEO of the organization.


Activities

The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation was founded in 2007. It later changed its name to the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF). Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said he would give 10 billion
USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it int ...
to set up the foundation. The foundation funds areas related to knowledge, education, entrepreneurship, innovation and employment. In 2008, Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF) partnered with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to establish the Arab Knowledge Project (now called Knowledge Project). In 2019, the foundation and UNDP renewed their partnership on the Knowledge Project to boost sustainable development in the Arab States region and around the world. In 2008, the foundation pledged 100,000 books to children in the Arab world, and grants to writers of children's books. In 2009, the foundation was setting up a book fair. In 2020, on the occasion of the United Nations International Day of Education, MBRF launched Digital Knowledge Hub - an online platform to facilitate self education and promote development. The platform allows users to read and download 300,000 titles and 3.5 million digital items including books, magazines, children’s stories, summaries, audio books, and videos. In 2010, the organization assisted with flood relief in Pakistan. In 2013 the foundation participated in a young engineers conference in
Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...
. As of 2009, the foundation signed memorandums of understanding with 28 universities (including top ones like
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
and
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
) which give the fellows of the foundation access to these universities. In 2008, it launched a program which stimulated translation of literary works into Arab language. In 2015, MBRF launched Oxford - Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Graduate Scholarship (OMBR), in collaboration with University of Oxford, to enable Arab postgraduate students to attend the university and support researchers and enhance their capabilities in reaching the highest scientific ranks. In 2015, MBRF started Nobel Museum to highlight the contributions made by Nobel Prize winners around the globe.
Rima Khalaf Rima Khalaf Hunaidi (; born 1953, in Kuwait) is a national of Jordan who served as Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) from 2010 to 2017. She resigned from this position in March 2017 ...
was Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation from 2008 to 2009. As of 2012, the chairman of the foundation was Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (Sheikh Mohammed's son) and the CEO was Sultan Ali Rashid Lootah.


Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Award (MBRKA)

In December 2014, MBRF introduced Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Award (MBRKA). The organization gave its inaugural "Knowledge Award" to
Sir Tim Berners-Lee Sir Timothy John Berners-Lee (born 8 June 1955), also known as TimBL, is an English computer scientist best known as the inventor of the World Wide Web, the HTML markup language, the URL system, and HTTP. He is a professorial research fellow ...
and
Jimmy Wales Jimmy Donal Wales (born August 7, 1966), also known as Jimbo Wales, is an American List of Internet entrepreneurs, Internet entrepreneur and former Trader (finance), financial trader. He is a Founders of Wikipedia, co-founder of the non-profi ...
, along with a US$1 million cash prize. Other award recipients include
Hiroshi Ishiguro is a Japanese roboticist and engineer. He is the director of the Intelligent Robotics Laboratory, part of the Department of Systems Innovation in the Graduate School of Engineering Science at Osaka University, Japan. A notable development of the ...
, Ahmad Alshugairi, Dr. Hiroshi Komiyama and
Melinda Gates Melinda French Gates (born Melinda Ann French; August 15, 1964) is an American philanthropist. Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, she was educated at Ursuline Academy of Dallas, Duke University, and Duke's Fuqua School of Business. Shortly afte ...
.


References


External links

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Dubai Digital Library
{{Authority control 2007 establishments in the United Arab Emirates Educational organisations based in Dubai Organizations established in 2007