Location Islamabad Presented by ICTP Chapter Pakistan Last awarded 2012 | Country Pakistan First awarded 1981 | |
The Abdus Salam Award (sometimes called the Salam Prize), is a most prestigious award that is awarded annually to Pakistani nationals to the field of chemistry, mathematics, physics, biology. The award is awarded to the scientists who are resident in Pakistan, below 35 years of age on 31 December of the year for which the Prize was to be awarded. It is to consist of a certificate giving a citation and a cash award of US$1,000. It is to be awarded on the basis of the collected research and/or a technical essay written specially for the Prize
The Award is a brainchild of Professor Abdus Salam's students Dr. Riazuddin, Dr. Fayyazuddin and Dr. Asghar Qadir who first presented the idea to Abdus Salam in 1979. Abdus Salam, who felt that he had no right to use the Prize money for personal purposes but that it must be used to further his mission of development of Science in the Third World. Abdus Salam specially put aside money to help Pakistan and Pakistani students. In 1980, Prof. Salam asked Prof. Fayyazuddin and Dr. Asghar Qadir to formulate the rules and procedures for a Prize to be awarded to young Pakistani scientists for their research in the basic sciences. Professor Asghar Qadir is currently the Secretary of Salam Prize Committee Centre for Advanced Mathematics and Physics National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) Campus. The Abdus Salam Award is also sponsored by Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK since 2007.