Her Excellency Sheikha Hind Bint Hamad Al Thani Attends Qatar National Research Fund’s 10th Annual Forum

Her Excellency Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation (QF), today attended Qatar National Research Fund’s (QNRF) 10th Annual Forum at Qatar National Convention Centre.

During the event, QNRF – a member of QF – announced the winners of the 11^th cycle of its National Priorities Research Program (NPRP) and the recipient of the Best Research Office Award for 2018.

The NPRP is QNRF’s main funding program, and the primary means by which it supports research projects that address Qatar’s national priority areas under the four pillars of the Qatar National Research Strategy: Energy & Environment; Biomedical and Health; Information and Communication Technology; and Social Sciences, Arts & Humanities. Its 11^th cycle received 284 proposal submissions, 77 of which were awarded grants for research projects.

Recipients included researchers from the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, QF members Hamad Bin Khalifa University and Sidra Medicine, QF partner universities Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar and Texas A&M University at Qatar (TAMUQ), Hamad Medical Corporation, the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, and Qatar University. TAMUQ also received the Best Research Office Award at the forum for its outstanding performance in managing research projects during the pre-award and post-award stages.

Speaking at the forum, Dr. Abdul Sattar Al-Taie, Executive Director, QNRF, said, “At QNRF, our priority is to identify research projects that will positively impact Qatar through innovation. Year on year, we receive a host of submissions from researchers spanning the nation’s academic and research institutions, which is testament to the increasing homegrown research culture that QNRF aims to nurture and support. We look forward to assisting the recipients of grants under the 11^th cycle of the NPRP as they work to make valuable contributions to the country’s research objectives.

“Furthermore, the 11^th cycle marks the second year that co-funding has been incorporated in the NPRP, encouraging collaboration among research institutions and stakeholders who share a passion for finding solutions to issues of the highest priority to Qatar. The research, development, and innovation sectors are key to the nation’s pursuit of self-sufficiency and long-term prosperity.”

Keynote speaker Dr. Catriona MacCallum, Director of Open Science, Hindawi, gave a plenary lecture on open access publication, open data access, and data management, as well as the challenges and opportunities presented by a global network of Open Science.

“Open Science will transform the way research is disseminated and discovered. Progressive leaders, such as Qatar National Research Fund, are already taking concrete action to increase the discoverability of the research funded by them,” Dr. MacCallum said.

“Considerable progress has been made but there are still many technical, economic, and cultural challenges to overcome if we are to achieve a barrier-free global network of research. The opportunity now is for all progressive stakeholders to align their interests and act together for the benefit of science and society."

This year’s Energy & Environment priority themes under the NPRP included research projects focused on solar photovoltaic systems, energy efficiency, water, and oil and gas. In the Biomedical and Health sector, emphasis was placed on diabetes, cancer, genetic diseases, and epidemiology. Meanwhile, the Social Sciences, Arts & Humanities pillar included priority themes such as population growth sustainability, economic diversification, and cultural identity. Finally, the Information and Communication Technology sector focused on cybersecurity, smart grids, blockchain, and artificial intelligence.

The NPRP is building human capital by enabling the promotion of knowledge and technology transfer, and fosters the integration of researchers in Qatar with the global research community by encouraging collaborations and partnerships with prominent institutions worldwide. Through the program’s 11^th cycle, QNRF has helped to build partnerships between academics and research end-users, while effectively supporting basic and applied research, as well as translational research and experimental development.