Many Egyptians have been wondering why Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Hani Helal decided not to award the State Merit Prizes for Basic Sciences this year to Hani el-Nazer, the Chairman of the State-run National Research Centre (NRC), although he was meant to be awarded it.The press and the electronic media have spoken of the Minister putting pressure on the Higher Committee for Prizes

, that is responsible for reviewing research presented by the competing candidates and then deciding who should win.After 22 members of the 28-member jury had voted for el-Nazer, it came as a shock when it was announced that no-one at all would get the prize this year, as apparently el-Nazer's research wasn't good enough.The chairman of the Academy of Scientific Research took this decision on behalf of the Minister of Scientific Research, although he (the chairman) is not responsible for reviewing the research of the candidates. So why was the noted scientist denied this prize, although he heads the NRC, which has come up with some very good projects, the best being conducted by another prominent Egyptian scientist, Moustafa el-Sayyed, in the field of using nano-gold to treat cancer? The NRC, under the leadership of el-Nazer, has also produced a vaccine for bird flu, better than those imported in countries such as China. However, the Government hasn't taken any steps yet to produce it in order to curb the H5N1 virus in Egypt.For long we have been complaining about the wide gap between scientific research and the executive authority, reflected in the Government's neglecting scientific research and the discoveries being conducted by our top scientists at different research centres and universities. The furore over the prize has revealed a hidden conflict between Egypt's eminent scientists and governmental officials, including the Minister, who is supposed to promote scientific research in the country.Working with very few resources for very low incomes, and now with no hope of a fair reward for their long years of hard work and scientific achievements, our scientists have every reason to abandon working in their country and accepting the many tempting offers from different developed countries to work there.The brain drain continues, as more scientists migrate from the southern developing countries to the developed north, which is progressing while the south is deteriorating.