Abu Dhabi Science Festival wins WSIS Global Contest Award

Abu Dhabi, May 27, 2013 (WAM) - The Abu Dhabi Science Festival has recently been awarded with the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) project prize in the category of "ICT application; e-science" during the WSIS Forum hosted May 13 -17th in Geneva, Switzerland, a summit organised by the United Nations' International Telecommunications Union. The Festival, which aims to spark the scientific curiosity of the UAE youth in a broader program of initiatives designed to develop a talented human capital base in STI, received the global award for playing a key role in enabling Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) development in the UAE. On accepting the award, the Director General of TDC, Ahmed Saeed Al Calily, said: "I am extremely proud to accept this prestigious global award on behalf of TDC and would like to thank the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority for nominating the Abu Dhabi Science Festival. This award is a true demonstration of the success of the initiative and the hard work that is put in by all of our partners who have helped us to win this prize." Speaking on behalf of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) Majed Sultan Al Mesmar, Deputy Director-General for Telecommunications Sector, said: "The Abu Dhabi Science Festival is a significant opportunity to recognise the nation's talented young scientists and also encourage other young people to develop an interest in science. Importantly, the focus of this event ties in with the UAE Vision 2021 that seeks to create a sustainable economy through developing local talent in many of the UAE's industries including science." The Abu Dhabi Science Festival last year attracted over 120,000 visitors including 20,000 school children in organised school tours and showcased over 170 world-class informal, interactive science projects. – Emirates News Agency, WAM