DCS-BankMuscat Open Day Held
News Round Up
Wheat Production Using Treated Wastewater
Mind Over Matter
SQU to Establish Ties With Miami University
News Update
MENA Mountains
Report and SQU
Department of Public
RelationsandInformation
SultanQaboosUniversity
Issue 236
View Point
No Health Without
Mental Health
Humaid Abdullah Al Adwani
Editorial Supervision & Editor in Chief
M.K. Santhosh
Senior Editor
Ahlam Al Wahaibi
Design & Layout
Rashad Al Wahaibi
& Photography Dept., CET
Photography
Mental health is defined by World Health Organization as “a state of wellbeing in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope
with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and
is able to make a contribution to his or her community”. However, there
are different types of mental health problems, some of which are common,
such as depression and anxiety disorders, and some not so common, such
as schizophrenia and Bipolar disorder. The fact is that all over the world
more than 450 million people suffer from mental disorders which lead to
illness, premature deaths or loss of quality of life.
The treatment gap for mental disorders is quite high all over the world;
76% and 85% of people in low and middle income countries with severe
mental disorders receive no treatment for their mental health conditions.
The corresponding figures for high income countries are also high-between
35% and 50%. With the global economic downturn and associated austerity
measures, the risks for mental ill health are rising around the globe.
In this sense, mental health is the foundation for individual well-being and
the effective functioning of a community as a whole. In other words, there
is no health without mental health and well functioning mental systems
are vital for reducing the high burden of mental disorders. Promoting mental health depends largely on inter-sectorial strategies and national mental
health policies should not be solely concerned with mental disorders, but
should also recognize and address the broader issues which promote mental health.
One of the leading psychiatrists at SQU Hospital mentioned that the Gulf
region has witnessed the emergency of psychiatric disorders of late which
proves that the region is not immune to vagaries of psychiatric disorders.
We are also witnessing the growth of psychiatric services and acceptance
of psychological explanation of emotional distress. This is the reason why
psychiatrists at SQU has taken the initiative to organize Oman’s first psychiatric conference. It is high time we realised that there is “No health without mental health”.
Horizon invites contributions from SQU members of staff and faculty. Contributions in the form of articles,
news, travelogues, stories of unique and interesting experiences, encounters, etc., are welcome. Contributions
may be edited for the sake of clarity and length. Please send your contributions to horizon@squ.edu.om preferably, as MSWord attachments. Authors will be suitably credited.
Horizon is published three times a month by the Department of Public Relations and Information,
Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 50, P.C. 123, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.
Phone: +968 24141045
E-mail: horizon@squ.edu.om
10 March 2012 P2
Fax: +968 24413 391
Website: www.squ.edu.om
Psychiatric Conference Held
News Update
Majlis A’Shura
Members Visit SQU
Oman’s First Psychiatric Conference, organized by the College of Medicine and Health Sciences at Sultan Qaboos University, in partnership with
Arabian Gulf Psychiatric Association was held at SQU recently. The opening ceremony of the event was held under the patronage of HE Dr. Ali bin
Saud al Bimani, Vice Chancellor of the university. The theme of the conference was “No Health Without Mental Health”. Speaking on the occasion,
Dr. Hamed al Sinawi, Chairman of the Conference, said that psychiatry
is one of the fastest growing and advancing medical specialties and yet it
is continues to suffer from under-investment and poor budget allocation
for services development. “We hope that the this meeting would come
up with plans and recommendations to address these pressing needs”,
he added. According to Dr. Hamed al Sinawi, this region is not immune
to vagaries of psychiatric disorder. “We are also witnessing the growth of
psychiatric services and acceptance of psychological explanation of emotional distress”.
During the opening ceremony, Dr. Adel Al Aufi, of Psychiatry Hospital,
Kingdom of Bahrain, gave a talk on “Mental Health in the 21st Century”.
He said that more than 450 million people suffer from mental disorders
across the globe. In fact, there is no health without mental health and well
functioning of metal health systems are vital for reducing the high burden
of mental disorders”, he added.
The three day conference included presentations by eight invited speakers
from the UK and the Arab World on different topics such as drug abuse,
psychiatry of the elderly and child and adolescent psychiatry. The conference also discussed other major topics like personality disorder and mental health during pregnancy and childbirth.
HE Khalid bin Hilal al-Ma’awali, Chairman of Majlis A’Shura, accompanied by several members of the Majlis visited SQU where they met HE
Dr. Ali bin Saud al-Bimani, the Vice-Chancellor of the university and a
number of officials. HH Sayyida Dr. Mona bint Fahad al-Said, SQU Assistant Vice-Chancellor for External Cooperation said the invitation forMajlis A’Shura to visit the university was part of communication between
SQU and Majlis A’Shura with the aim of acquainting them with the university’s achievements in the research and academic fields, graduating
and qualifying competent scientific cadres in all disciplines.
On his part the Chairman of Majlis A’Shura said, that the visit was aimed
at establishing an active partnership between Majlis A’Shura and SQU for
the interest of the public and activating the role of Majlis A’Shura with
public and private establishments and transparently harmonizing with
the society. During the visit, the Chairman and members of the Majlis
A’Shura watched documentaries about SQU and its research activities
depicting the evolution of the university since it inception 1986 and the
colleges it contains, the number of graduates, and the number of graduation batches. The members also visited an exhibition depicting SQU’s
progress.
SQU to Establish Ties
with Miami University
AVS Group Holds Exhibition
The Animal & Veterinary Sciences Student Group of the College of Agricultural & Marine Sciences organized the 6th Veterinary Gathering under
the patronage of Dr. Ali bin Abdullah Al Sahmi, Assistant Director of Animal Wealth at the Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries.
As part of the event, the group set up an exhibition consisting of two sections: science and entertainment. In the scientific exhibition, the Animal
Sciences and Veterinary major students displayed their research projects.
Through the entertainment section, the group tried to convey the message to the policy makers that opening a zoo in Oman is important as it
provides shelter and breeding facilities for animals and birds. The group
members set up a mini zoo at the premises in which they displayed pet
birds, wild birds, pet dogs, reptiles and turtles. A snake show, a show by
Royal Oman Police dog squad, and a horse show by Royal Oman Police,
were also held on the sidelines of the gathering.
Sultan Qaboos University explored possibility of collaboration with the
US based Miami University in Ohio by facilitating exchange of faculty
members, students and collaborative research between the two institutions. Both sides had a fruitful discussion in this regard during the visit
of a delegation led by Corado Bobby Gempesaw, Provost and Executive
Vice President for Academic Affairs, Miami University, to Sultan Qaboos
University recently. HE Dr. Ali bin Soud al Bimani, Vice Chancellor of
SQU and HH Sayyida Dr. Mona bint Fahad al Said, Assistant Vice Chancellor for External Cooperation received the Miami delegation.
It has been agreed to activate exchange of students between the two
universities under credit transfer system. The two universities evinced
interest in academic and research collaboration in different disciplines
including engineering, geology and broad areas in business studies. Miami is a residential university with a focus on teaching undergraduates.
With a student body of 16,000, the university combines a wide range of
academic programs.
10 March 2012 P3
Insight
MENA Mountains Report and SQU
Sultan Qaboos University serves as the focal point for preparing the
mountains development regional report for the Middle East and North
Africa (MENA) region the draft of which was presented at the Lucerne
World Mountain Conference held in October 2011. This important mountain conference was successful in providing important elements to ensure
mountains be included in the Rio+20 Summit, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, which will be held in June 2012.
Prof. Reginald Victor, environmental scientist and Dean of Research at SQU,
who has done a series of research on the mountains of Oman, is entrusted
with the task of leading the team that prepares the regional report covering
mountains in 19 MENA countries from Morocco to Iran. According to Prof.
Victor, the key issues in the MENA mountain region are climate, water resources, wildlife and biodiversity, agriculture, livestock and land use, and
tourism. “Others include specific issues like the establishment of biosphere
reserves, special programs like those of Global Diversity Foundation (GDF),
terrorism, disasters, natural hazards and disaster risk reduction (DRR) and
socio-economic and political issues. The discussion of each issue in the regional report includes information known from specific MENA countries.
For example, the issue of water resources includes management of water
resources in Morocco, water stress in Lebanon, overexploitation of groundwater in Oman, revitalisation of traditional water harvesting in Iran, water
scarcity in Yemen and the famous water conflict of Palestine and Israel”, he
said.
This report is presented in three parts: the first sets up the stage for the
discourse on MENA Mountains, the second provides an evaluation of sustainable mountain development discussing progress, changes and lessons
learnt, and the third addresses challenges to green economy and issues
relevant to Rio +20 in the MENA region. Of the19 countries in the MENA
region, three do not have significant mountain systems and of the remaining 16, only seven have enough data warranting detailed discussion. In the
report prepared by Prof. Victor and team, major mountain ranges in the
MENA region have been identified and the major themes relevant to the
MENA Mountains recognized.
The report says that evaluation of sustainable mountain development in the
whole MENA region is an extremely difficult task. “However, it is possible
to attempt a discussion on the basis of what had happened in the MENA
countries over the past 20 years assuming that mountains are firmly embedded in the governance systems and are subject to impacts both positive and
negative, affecting the countries as a whole. The nature of governance is
an important driver that has impact on sustainable mountain development.
The present political climate in the region is likely to have a negative impact
on sustainable development initiatives including those in mountains.
Ecosystem services of these mountains are discussed in the report under
(a) provisioning, (b) regulating and supporting and (c) cultural services following the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment for mountains. Supply and
demand for ecosystem services in the MENA Mountains are poorly understood. The status of green economy in the MENA Mountains and challenges
faced are presented in line with millennium development goals. Actions
10 March 2012 P4
needed include regulatory frameworks; a shift in government spending priorities to support green economy initiatives; financial incentives to green
investment and innovation; capacity building through training and education; and strong links to international governance.
Prof. Victor said that mountains of the MENA region are important for sustainable development in national, regional and global contexts. “All mountains in this region with the exception of few do not supply fresh water to
fulfill the needs of the entire population, but the goods and key ecosystem
services provided by these mountains are vital for the sustainable development. These goods and services are under increasing pressure from urban
expansion and environmental changes”, he said.
The report recommends the following actions for the sustainable mountain
development (SMD) in the region: (1) Protect natural resources and assist
with strategies for their sustainable use to improve the socio-economic well
being of the mountain communities; (2) Involve mountain communities in
decision making processes and political representation to ensure best use of
resources, environmental protection, and food security; (3) Facilitate mountain communities to gain fair access to resources and share benefits of their
use equitably; (4) Strengthen and develop national and regional institutions
and establish links with global institutions to address highland-lowland interactions and trans-boundary cooperation, support capacity building, generation and dissemination of knowledge, technical expertise and innovation
for sustainable mountain development; (5) Provide enabling conditions and
incentives for investment in sustainable development in mountain areas
and include appropriate funding in national budgets in order to enhance
wellbeing and reduce disparities; (6) Evaluate how mountain issues were
handled within the three Rio conventions and identify reasons that can be
attributed to the action plans, their success and failure; (7) Recognize the
vulnerability issues of the mountain ecosystems that still exist within the
three Rio conventions, based on the experience of last 20 years, and recommend implementation strategies that must be adopted to achieve sustainable development goals; (8) Promote the transition of these mountains’
dependence from Brown Economy to Green Economy; 9) Identify special
issues that impact MENA mountain communities such as illegal drug production, terrorism and political disputes, and establish intervention procedures at international level to alleviate these problems; (10) Make best use of
all new and existing funding mechanisms to address issues related to Sustainable Mountain Development and challenges of environmental changes
in the MENA region.
Prof. Victor revealed that the final report will be presented at the Rio+20
Summit which will mark the 20th anniversary of the 1992 United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), in Rio de Janeiro, and the 10th anniversary of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable
Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg. SQU is an official member of the
Mountain Partnership at FAO Rome, Italy and has been a focal point for the
Sultanate of Oman on Mountain Issues. This partnership is an honour conferred on SQU because of its contribution to the mountain research through
“Al Jabal al Akhdar Initiative” a multidisciplinary landmark research that
has become a reference for mountain studies in arid and semi-arid regions.
MindOverMatter
Wheat Production
Using Treated Wastewater
By: Dr. Ahmed Al-Busaidi & Dr. Mushtaque Ahmed
Dept. of Soil, Water & Agricultural Engineering
The Sultanate of Oman is water-stressed country. The
mean annual rainfall is less than 100 mm (Environment
Society of Oman, 2009). At the same time, the country
suffers from highly uneven distribution of precipitation
and economic activities are water-intensive. Therefore,
water reuse strategies have been explored in Oman over
the past few years, as a means of alleviating the pressure
on natural water resources.
In the Muscat region, the Oman Wastewater Services
Company (OWSC) is mandated to collect, treat and dispose domestic wastewater. The irrigation demand of
the nature strips vary during the year, while the supply
of treated wastewater from OWSC’s sewage treatment
plants (STPs) remain steady. Currently approximately
14% of the households are on their sewer network. OWSC
anticipates this percentage to increase to 80% in the near
future. By then, it also anticipates a surplus up to 100,000
cubic metre of treated wastewater per day during winter months, after meeting the demand to irrigate nature
strips for city beautification purposes. Some of the excess
treated wastewater may be used for irrigation crops such
as wheat. The rest can be stored in the aquifers which later
can be used for irrigation as well.
Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) is practiced widely
to store water during periods of surpluses and withdraw
during deficits from an aquifer. MAR also known as artificial recharge, is the infiltration or injection of water
into an aquifer. Aquifers are very good means of storing
water. Since the water is stored below the ground, there
are no evaporation losses. With reasonable care the water
is protected from pollution. It uses minimum land area
and causes no environmental damage. Recharged water
is distributed across the aquifer due to natural gradients.
When practiced along coastal aquifers, Managed Aquifer
Recharge mitigates sea water intrusion. It is less expensive, and easier to operate and maintain compared to surface dams, and it is always available on demand.
On the other hand, Managed Aquifer Recharge has some
disadvantages. In most cases, only a part of the recharged
water is recovered. Quality of recharging water could
lead to changes in physical and chemical characteristics
of the soil and aquifer. Some impurities, such as microbes,
heavy metals or trace elements, if present in recharging
water will contaminate the aquifer, and will be very expensive to contain and clean.
In May 2009, the project titled ‘Feasibility of Managed
Aquifer Recharge Using Excess Treated Wastewater in
Oman’ received funding from HM’s strategic research
funds. This is a three year duration project comprising researchers from different colleges of SQU and public and
private organizations. As part of this project field trials are
now being conducted to see the feasibility of wheat cultivation in Oman using treated wastewater.
Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is an important crop in
the Sultanate of Oman, cultivated both as a forage crop
for livestock and for grain production. Farmers practicing traditional oasis agriculture continue to cultivate a
number of wheat landraces. However, the area planted
to these landraces declined from about 1000 hectares (ha)
in 1988 to 240 ha in 1996. Major reasons for this decline
were the adoption of higher-yielding modern varieties,
increasing soil salinity in the wheat producing Batinah region and shortage of good quality water for irrigation. As
an alternative, treated wastewater can be used to irrigate
wheat crop. Therefore, one of the objectives in the project
of Feasibility of Managed Aquifer Recharge Using Excess
Treated Wastewater in Oman is to evaluate the quality of
wheat crop irrigated by treated wastewater. Moreover,
the study will compare between two varieties irrigated by
fresh and treated wastewater and by drip and raised bed
methods.
The study started in January 2011 and it is in progress.
From the preliminary results, it can be seen the treated
wastewater gave better growth and good production
compare to freshwater. However, by the end of this study,
physical and chemical analysis will be done for soil and
plant systems to evaluate if any contaminant can be found
in them. The quality of grain will be completely analyzed
for possibility of toxicity and any side effect for human
consumption. If treated wastewater can be used in wheat
production without any harmful effects, this can open another door for usage of treated wastewater and release the
pressure for freshwater demand.
10 March 2012 P5
NewsRoundUp
Seminar on Wind and Solar
Resource Assessment
DCS-BankMuscat
Open Day Held
In association with European Union-GCC Clean Energy Network, Sultan
Qaboos University organised a two day seminar on wind and solar resources assessment at Crowne Plaza on 27 and 28 of February 2012. The
event was addressed to local energy experts and researchers including
engineers, wind resource project developers, Concentrated Solar Power
(CSP) and Photovoltaic (PV) project developers, researchers and students specializing in the field of wind and solar energy sector.
The Computer Science Department of the College of Science, organized
an Open Day with BankMuscat. The opening ceremony of the event was
held under the patronage of Dr. Taher ba Omar, Academic Affairs Advisor
to the Vice Chancellor of the University. The forum titled “Department of
Computer Science-BankMuscat Day” was held with a view to strengthen
the relation between the Department and BankMuscat so that both parties
could benefit from each other. The forum included presentation of posters
and selected researches by the students of the department.
On the first day, Mr. Ivan Moya Mallafre of National Renewable Energy
Research Centre (CENER), Spain, delivered presentations on wind resource assessment in which he addressed the most important aspects of
wind resource analysis and technology. The seminar covered topics such
as wind speed and direction, turbulence, wind shear, etc. The trainer also
demonstrated site selection and measurement, wind farm layout, wind
resource maps and management tools. At the end of the seminar Mr.
Mallafre presented test cases of two examples from Oman.
The event was attended by students and faculty members of the Department, and top officials of BankMuscat headed by Shmaza Abdullah al
Seefi, Deputy General Manager for IT. The forum provided and opportunity for the IT officials of BankMuscat to familiarize with the innovation and
creativity of the computer science students by viewing the posters projects
and listening to their presentations. The Bank officials gave presentations
on their career development and planning strategies, and IT infrastructure
and operations at the bank.
On asking about the wind energy potential in Oman, Mr. Mallfre said
that Oman has coastlines stretching for more than 1700 km which ensure
the existence of an active movement of the wind along the coastal areas
during breeze. “On the other hand, the country is affected by both winter
and summer winds. Both mechanisms ensure the country’s sustainable
wind energy throughout the year”, he said.
Delivering the opening speech, Dr. Salim al Harthy, Assistant Dean for
Training and Community Service, College of Science, hoped that the forum would help to strengthen the ties between SQU and BankMuscat.
He called for more focussed approach in advancing the relations that
could lead to strategic partnership extending to more levels. Dr. Zuhoor
al Khanjari, Head of the Department of Computer Science gave a talk on
the Department focussing on its academic programs, final year projects for
students, summer training goals and the facilities at the department. She
hoped that BankMuscat would come up with more training and employment opportunities for IT students in SQU.
On the second day, Mr. Carsten Hoyer-Klick of German Aerospace Centre led the seminar on solar resource assessment. The attendees were
familiarized with the main aspects of solar energy resource measurement
and assessment.
Conference to Shed Light on Autism
As part of an initiative to establish a national centre for autism in Oman,
the first International Autism Conference will be organized by the Language Centre Social Committee, in association with the College of
Medicine & Health Sciences at Sultan Qaboos University on 21, March
2012. This conference will provide professionals, and parents of autistic
children with a cleaner understanding of the diagnostic criteria for autism and essential strategies for education, behaviour management and
communication.
Speaking at a press conference in SQU, Anfal al Waheibi, Executive
Chairperson of the Conference, said the aim of the conference is to emphasize the significance of this disorder and to gather more ideas for
the plan of establishing an autism centre. “In Oman, autistic children
are not enrolled in the regular schools. They are taken care of by the
Ministry of Social Development during the early childhood instead.
Autistic people have the rights to obtain their free education like any
other disabled children receiving benefits from the government”. She
hoped that this conference would be successful in generating ideas for
strategies for treatment and rehabilitation that would maximize the use
of resources in Oman. The conference is structured to educate parents
and professionals on how to deal with autism.
10 March 2012 P6
Al Waheibi further said that the theme of the conference is “Accepting Difference” which calls for the society to give up indifference towards autistic children. “People with autism are expected to cope with
the challenges for a world which can often seem bewildering and irrational. This can cause high levels of anxiety and stress, resulting in behaviours that can be difficult for other people to deal with, and creating
challenges for parents and professions. Whether it is about prevention,
early intervention or inclusion, it is important to understand the policies and services for the autistic children and their families cannot be
undertaken in isolation. Our aim is to improve the lives and futures of
children and adults affected by autism by raising public awareness and
convincing the decision makers”, Al Waheibi added.
The organizers said that people with autism, their parents and families,
educational professionals from mainstream schools, special schools and
local authorities, clinicians, speech therapists, occupational therapists,
social workers and support workers could attend this conference. The
opening ceremony of the event will be held under the patronage of HE
Sayyid Saud bin Hilal al Busaidi, Minister of State and Governor of
Muscat.
A Sun that never sets
Twenty five years of commitment
Straight Talk
Dr. Brian Buckley
Dr. Brian Denis Paul Buckley has been the Chief
Executive Officer of Oman LNG since February
2007. His career has spanned management and
executive positions in operational, commercial,
personnel, and major projects’ screening and execution in the oil, gas, chemicals and metals sectors. He has worked in Europe, the Caribbean,
South America, Asia, Africa and, now, the Middle East. His career started as a mathematician
and theoretical physicist at Manchester University and the UK Science Research Council. He
has also chaired many industrial committees on
Technical Issues and Sustainable Development,
in which he retains close and active interests. Dr.
Buckley recently visited to SQU.
Horizon: Could you please introduce your organization?
Dr. Buckley : Oman LNG is the largest public-private joint venture in the Sul-
tanate of Oman. Natural Gas is also the largest revenue contributor after oil to the
Government of Oman and its people. Through its Corporate Social Responsibility
programmes Oman LNG has established itself as Oman’s leading private sector
investor in social development in the country. Equally importantly, Oman LNG
is committed to the transfer and growth of technical, professional and managerial
skills amongst its workforce and more broadly in Oman. The management and
staff of Oman LNG are dedicated to fulfilling the aspirations of His Majesty, Sultan
Qaboos bin Said, when he established the Company by a Royal Decree in 1994 as
a vehicle for the diversification of the nation’s economy through the profitable exploitation of its natural gas resources for the benefit of the country and its people.
This remains the essence of our mission today and our vision for tomorrow. For
the last 10 years we have grown to be the largest single corporate entity in terms
of revenues for the country. Over those ten years gas has become the most strategically placed fuel in both the domestic and global markets. Currently, some 55% of
Oman’s gas production is consumed domestically.
Horizon: What is the purpose of your visit to SQU?
Dr. Buckley: The main purpose is to cement our
Company’s relationships
with SQU as the premier higher educational and research institution in Oman. We
are interested in developing areas of mutual interest in the areas of applied research
and learning.
Horizon: Does Oman LNG have any tie ups with SQU at this point?
Dr. Buckley: We don’t have any collaboration in these areas with the universi-
ty at present. However, an area of mutual interest is the professional career opportunities we have been able to offer many graduates from the university: graduates
in engineering and science, finance, humanities, etc., who have started with us in
engineering, IT, Finance, Human Relations and External Relations and so on. Many
will go on to more senior roles in marketing, management and corporate planning.
Needless to say, the quality of the SQU graduates is second to none in the country:
therefore our interest in graduates from this university! As with any company, we
are most interested in recruiting the very best. What we offer is the very best in
professional learning and development to those who join us.
Horizon: Could you comment on your meeting with the Vice Chancellor of SQU?
Dr. Buckley: We had a most fruitful meeting indeed. We have been able to
identify a number of potential areas for collaboration, particularly in areas of basic
and applied research at the university. We have agreed to explore further research
topics which complement our core businesses of gas and energy. The role of energy is critical to economic development and Oman, like many countries, aims to
optimise its use of all energy options to meet its needs. Protecting the environment
runs in parallel with this objective and steps that improve energy efficiency and
reduce our carbon footprints are sorely needed. We are confident that we will be
able to build an understanding with SQU on a number of promising areas which
will be mutually beneficial that will be in line with the vision of the university and
the nation at large.
Horizon: Which are the major areas of research in which Oman LNG is going to
support SQU?
Dr. Buckley: There are a few areas of common interest. The Vice Chancellor
and I spoke at some length about marine biology and biotechnology and its potential support of Oman’s fishing industries and renewable energies. We spoke more
broadly about innovative technologies and their potential for commercial development and employment generation in the future.
Horizon: Does it mean that Oman LNG will be supporting research at SQU under the umbrella of Corporate Social Responsibility?
Dr. Buckley: We are not looking for immediate returns on any future investment with the university. As a company, we are interested in research that could
contribute to strengthening the energy portfolio of the country and diversifying
its economy. Managing Oman’s carbon footprint is another major challenge as the
country develops and success will benefit us and our environment in the long run.
We are also interested in research that can lead to the introduction of new technologies and new sources of revenues and employment for the country’s young population. Omanis entrepreneurial spirit is well recognised: we need to tap into that
entrepreneurship urgently. In this regard, our potential collaboration with SQU
need not be limited to research alone. What is important is that we tap into the
strengths that the university has and that we become effective partners with the
university in the future.