The Advisory Board of the Biosciences and Bioengineering Research Institute (BBRI) met on September 29 for a planning meeting of the upcoming year. Dr. Hasan Al-Nashash, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Interim Director of BBRI, gave an overview of the institute's activities highlighting research workshops, funding, planned symposia, regional and international partnerships, and the institute's plans for expanding staffing.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Al-Nashash said:

"We are looking at the prospects of organizing a symposium on biosciences and bioengineering in February 2019. The main objective of this two-day event is to bring well-known scientists, engineers and clinicians together to present the current state of the art work in the fields of biosciences and bioengineering. Participating global leaders will be by invitation only, but the symposium will be accessible to all faculty and students.” 

A thorough discussion followed focusing on strategic planning, research direction, the PhD program curriculum and future industry collaborations.  

Dr. Al-Nashash added: 

"Key to the success of the BBRI will be the participation of both regional and international partners. We have identified several institutes which will serve as associates and models for the AUS BBRI. A potential associate university will be the University of Edinburgh which is number one in engineering in UK."

The Biosciences and Bioengineering Research Institute was established as part of the university's vision to become one of the leading research centers in the region. Its mission is to develop the core expertise and facilities needed to produce innovative advanced research in healthcare and biotechnology and to generate and disseminate scientific knowledge that has global impact and transfer scientific knowledge to successful commercialization.