DUBAI, June 2 (Xinhua) -- The Emirates Scientists Council (ESC) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) held a meeting in Dubai to explore ways to facilitate medical research in the Gulf Arab country, the ESC said in a statement on Saturday.

The council also discussed opportunities and challenges in the health sector in the UAE.

Chaired by Sarah Bint Yousef Al Amiri, minister of State for Advanced Sciences and ESC chairwoman, the meeting introduced new practices to support health-related research activities and new policies to regulate the industry.

ESC members discussed various scenarios for developing the UAE's healthcare sector, exploring the role that genomics research can play.

Al Amiri said the Open Labs Initiative, launched by UAE's Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in May, "is a significant addition to the scientific research efforts in the UAE."

The intiative empowers researchers and scientists, and grants them access to cutting-edge and highly equipped laboratories, she said, adding that it aims to attract global research expert to the UAE and to cut research costs by 30 percent within the country, according to a report by UAE daily Gulf News.

The council also adopted plans to prepare a comprehensive report that evaluates the state of research in the science and technology sector.