Qatar has set the right formula to support scientific research and promote innovative technological development and as part of it, the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) of Qatar Foundation has supported 4,000 projects through various funding programmes, said a senior official yesterday. The number of key investigators has increased from 200 to 3,000 over the years, Executive Director of QNRF, Dr. Abdul Sattar Al Taie said, speaking at a discussion held as part of the ‘Empowering Innovation’ event. “We have the right recipe to have success in research and innovation. We are not doing research for the sake of it, but to address local and global challenges. We have supported to build talent as part of its ongoing commitment to establish Qatar as a knowledge based economy” he said. “Besides building talent we have also laid the infrastructure by establishing research facilities and institutes,” he added.
QNRF was established in 2006 and its programmes cover basic disciplines emphasised through Qatar National Research Strategy (QNRS): energy and environment, computer science and information and communications technology, health and social sciences, and the arts and humanities. According to Dr. Al Taie, more than 10,000 school students, 4,000 undergraduates and 1,200 post-graduate fellows benefit from the QNRF. Also, 10,000 research papers have been published. Dr. Al Taie was joined by several other distinguished leaders and experts in the panel on ‘The Qatari Innovation Ecosystem – Challenges and Opportunities.’ The panel included speakers from Qatar Research Development and Innovation Council, Qatar Development Bank, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Qatar National Research Fund, Qatar Science and Technology Park, Qatar Foundation Research, Development and Innovation and Qatar University. The discussion focused on ‘Technology Maturation and Commercialisation’ activities in order to deliver more impactful results
Innovation Director, Qatar Science and Technology Park, Hayfa Al Abdulla highlighted the importance of a more active role industry can play in commercializing innovative products. She also insisted that the education system should be updated in a way to encourage students find innovative solutions for problems. ‘Empowering Innovation’ a two day virtual event organized by the Industry Development and Knowledge Transfer (IDKT), a division of Qatar Foundation Research, Development and Innovation (QF RDI), that celebrated Qatar Foundation’s long-standing commitment to research, innovation, and entrepreneurship. The event is a celebration of QF’s dedication, of the past 25 years, of driving innovation, research and entrepreneurship, fostering social development and a culture of lifelong learning, and preparing bright minds to tackle the challenges of the future. The event came to an end with an engaging narrative, highlighting QF’s journey into becoming the organization it is now and featuring the extensive academic resources and research institutions within its ecosystem.
