Qatar Foundation Annual Research Conference to commence tomorrow

The highly anticipated Annual Research Conference 2013 (ARC ’13) will begin tomorrow at Qatar National Convention Centre, supported by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF). 

Prominent academics and experts from the local and international research communities are expected to attend the two-day event. The conference is a genuine reflection of the state of Qatar’s ongoing commitment to establish a flourishing scientific culture, and sheds light on the great strides that Qatar Foundation Research and Development (QF R&D) has made in addressing the nation’s critical research needs.

During the conference, participants will be encouraged to leave a lasting imprint on society by embracing innovative research ideas and exchanging valuable knowledge that can propel science towards new frontiers. Students, scientists and researchers will forge mutually beneficial collaborations, in order to accelerate national research efforts and facilitate new discoveries that can help solve Qatar’s pressing challenges. 

Faisal Alsuwaidi, President of QF R&D, reaffirmed the organisation’s long-standing commitment to fostering an environment that champions ground-breaking research initiatives and underlined the value of bringing together many of the world’s distinguished researchers to discuss, debate, and examine focal issues. 

He said, “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone involved in this year’s Annual Research Conference. After months of meticulous planning, we are now on the brink of yet another exciting achievement. We are eager to continue nurturing productive partnerships and a collaborative research culture that brings together the most intelligent scientific minds, as they engage in stimulating discussions and debate some of the nation’s grand challenges.” 

The Annual Research Conference seeks to strengthen Qatar’s international standing and advance its position as a leading centre for R&D excellence and innovation. And, with a unified framework that is perfectly aligned to the country’s objectives and stakeholder priorities, it is an ideal platform to support the inventions of bright students from the earliest stages of university research through to commercialisation. 

In keeping with this objective, exceptional students and researchers will be playing an integral part in ARC ’13 by presenting their poster and oral presentations to renowned researchers, academics and experts. All projects presented will tackle one or more of Qatar’s research grand challenges, which include protecting the nation’s cyber infrastructure, developing and deploying solar energy solutions, ensuring sustainable food supply, integrating health management systems, and supporting Arabic culture, arts, heritage, media and language. 

During pre-conference event held yesterday, budding researchers received constructive feedback after showcasing their poster presentations to a panel of experts. Before selecting the finalists in each category, judges will be taking into consideration research quality, originality and merit, written content, and relevance to the research grand challenges. The top students will be recognised at a special awards ceremony and gala dinner tomorrow evening. 

Souad Berzoy, from Qatar University said, “I’m really proud to be able to showcase my poster at the Annual Research Conference this year. I feel fortunate to have met some of the world’s most renowned experts and to have gained such valuable exposure to pertinent research topics. Participating in such a premier gathering is a great milestone and it has helped me to hone my skills by producing better quality research. I am now looking forward to accomplishing my future goals in the R&D sector.” 

The Annual Research Conference is a QF R&D initiative rooted in the State of Qatar’s national vision and strategy to foster a community of research excellence and world-class education. More information can be found online at: http://www.qf-arc.org/