Sheikh Nahyan Mubarak Al Nahyan, the UAE Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and Chancellor of the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), will open on Monday the third Festival of Thinkers at the Emirates Palace. The two-day Forum being convened under the auspices of HCT, brings together an array of Nobel laureates, well-known intellectuals and students from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the neighboring countries to deliberate on themes that are key to shaping the future of the Middle East and the rest of the global community. The themes touch on such challenges as "Moving beyond the Global Crisis," "Envisioning Sustainable Development" and "Promoting Science and Technology." Additional topics to be discussed include world health, the globalization of culture and language, development economics and poverty alleviation, and military spending, research and innovation, among others, according to a report of the UAE news agency "WAM".