Amman, July 15 (Petra) -- His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, the Regent, attended on Wednesday the opening of the Third Honorary Professors Forum at the University of Jordan (UJ), according to a royal court statement.

The forum, held under the theme "Universities Driving National Innovation Ecosystems", brings together emeritus professors, university vice-chancellors, and academics from 17 countries around the world, and aims to establish a scientific platform for the exchange of expertise and ideas across various fields, disciplines, countries, and cultures, thereby enhancing opportunities for scientific research collaboration and training programmes.

In his remarks at the forum, UJ President Nathir Obeidat said the university is adapting to scientific and technological advances by establishing tailored, high-quality programmes designed to cultivate the next generation of future-ready leaders, adding that UJ is also working on establishing a technical college.

The Crown Prince attended the forum’s opening session, which featured a lecture by internationally acclaimed artificial intelligence expert Omar Hatamleh on the rapid AI-driven shifts in the labour market.

The two-day forum is focusing on bridging the gap between academia and the economy in Jordan, with panels highlighting entrepreneurship, university spin-offs and strategies for commercialising research into thriving ventures, university-industry collaboration, technology-integrated education, academic transformation, and health biotechnology.

His Royal Highness also inaugurated UJ’s Science Venture Foundry (SVF), a university-led platform that aims to convert science-based research and promising technologies into investment-ready, high-growth start-ups, and was briefed on several joint research and development initiatives linking the university with the private sector.

During a tour of the SVF, His Royal Highness was briefed by UJ Vice President for Scientific Faculties Ashraf Abu Karaky on the foundry’s facilities and programmes, which focus on research, development, innovation, entrepreneurship, and private-sector collaboration, with the aim of advancing the development of products that bolster the National Council for Future Technology’s programmes as well as national economic modernisation plans.

//Petra// AK