Islamic University Awards Research Grants to Six, Four of Them Women

MALE’ — The Islamic University of Maldives has awarded Emerging Research Grants to six research teams under the National Research Fund, with individual grants ranging from MVR 181,000 to MVR 339,000.

Four of the six lead researchers are women: Dr Aishath Waheeda, Dr Mariyam Shareefa, Dr Aishath Shina and Dr Fathimath Muna. The other two are Dr Nasrullah Ahmed and Dr Mohamed Solih.

The university received 15 proposals after opening the call for applications and selected six. The Ministry of Higher Education allocated MVR 1.5 million to each of the three institutions managing the fund, which also includes the Maldives National University and Villa College, each running their grant processes independently.

Research funded under the scheme must fall within four priority areas identified as critical to national development: governance, safety and wellbeing; economic development and sustainability; digital transformation and innovation; and the green agenda.

The fund aims to build local research capacity, support emerging researchers, and produce work relevant to the country’s long-term development needs.