Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani at the opening session of Times Higher Education Emerging Economies Summit under the theme “Building University Impact Through Resilience and Innovation” held in Ibn
Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, attended yesterday the opening session of Times Higher Education (THE) Emerging Economies Summit under the theme ‘Building University Impact Through Resilience and Innovation’ held in Ibn Khaldun Hall at Qatar University with participation of over 240 researchers and educators from around the world.
His Excellency was briefed on the objectives of the Summit, which seeks to exchange experiences in building and developing knowledge economies that will benefit the societies of emerging and developing countries, in addition to a speech on the importance of the Summit in promoting quality in the field of education, innovation, scientific research and knowledge exchange, as well as the challenges facing institutions in developing countries and how industry partnerships contribute to preparing students to join the labour market.
The summit aims to share experiences in building and developing knowledge economies that will benefit societies with emerging economies and in developing countries. The session was also attended by a number of Ministers, officials, dignitaries, researchers, specialists in the field of higher education and guests of the summit. More than 35 university presidents and 110 speakers are participating in the three-day summit sessions.
In his opening remarks, Dr Hassan Al Derham, President of QU, said that the education is the start of any renaissance and the summit organized by QU in partnership with Times Higher Education is primarily aimed at measuring the impact that universities and higher education institutions play in the renaissance of societies of the summits participating countries.
He noted that the high participation confirms the strength and importance of the summit in shaping educational and economic policies in countries with emerging and the importance of innovation, which allows universities to be the principle tool to solve future issues.
“The global classification of universities has become a vital indicator for the measure of scientific research provided by universities. While rankings are not the goal, they can be a strategic indicator, of what universities offer. QU, which offers its service to Qatar’s community, seeks to be categorized high in world rankings in order to best serve its society,” Dr Hassan Al Derham said.
Phil Baty, Chief Knowledge Officer at Times Higher Education stressed the importance of the summit in shaping future policies for higher education so that universities have a profound impact and a proven role in supporting the economies of countries at local levels in order to make a better world in the future.
Phil Baty added that THE offers important degrees to universities from a specialized point of view based on indicators that are carefully collected through working committees, during which emphasis is given to research and what universities offer in the field of scientific research and student services.
This summit will determine the impact of universities through flexibility and innovation so that researchers and the public can see what universities offer, their value and vital role in building societies.
Despite an 18-month siege against Qatar, Baty assures every one of the country’s ability to do more to benefit people, as this summit will make the universities more flexible and more changeable for the better.
He also expressed his appreciation and deep thanks to the Prime Minister for his presence and generous patronage of the summit, which will help achieve the set goals in what universities offer and the role they play in shaping the future.
Dr Hessa Al Jaber, former minister of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Qatar, delivered keynote speech on digital transformation, as a prelude to a session about technology for collaboration and resilience, where panel discussions were held on “Research Collaboration Overcoming Boundaries” and “Industry Partnerships in Emerging Markets.”
The conference will conclude today with the announcement of the results of the world rankings of the Times Foundation for Higher Education for the year 2019, an important event that the world’s universities are anticipating with much attention.
