Qatar Foundation to host Qatar National Research Strategy Forum 2013

Aimed at tackling the nation’s most pressing research challenges, Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development will be hosting the Qatar National Research Strategy Forum 2013, in collaboration with The New York Academy of Sciences.

The two-day forum, which will be held on 15 May and 16 Mayat Qatar National Convention Centre, will bring together leadingstakeholdersfrom across Qatar National Research Strategy’s (QNRS)key sectors, includingacademia, government, and research institutes.

The forum has been created to provide stakeholders with an idealplatform to advance the nation’s research objective of becoming an international centre for research and development by identifying, discussing, and confronting a host of pertinent challenges.

Faisal M. Alsuwaidi, President of Research and Development at Qatar Foundation, will be presenting the opening speech in which he will highlight the value of fostering a national research culture. This is in line with QatarNational Vision 2030and is designed to have a significantly positive impact on the country’s development by addressing the most pressing challenges facing Qatar and the region.

“We are determined to align all of our science and research objectives with stakeholder priorities, capabilities and interests by facilitating an environment that allows them to engage with one another and find applicable solutions to some of the research challenges that we face today,” said MrAlsuwaidi. “Qatar Foundation is steadfast in its commitment to plan and manage its research investments in order to fulfillthe objectives within the Qatar National Research Strategy and overcome potential obstacles along the way.”

In his remarks, Mr Michael Goldrich, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of The New York Academy of Sciences,will present participants with an overview ofthe research ‘Grand Challenges’ that Qatar is facing today. During a series of working groups, stakeholders will actively engage in the deliberationson how to overcome these challenges.

In keeping with the objectives of Qatar National Research Strategy (QNRS), which was launched last October, the forum also aims to provide researchers with the opportunity to network and cooperate on future research projects, nationallyand internationally.

QNRS was developed to guide all R&D investments in Qatar and providesthe national framework to align singular objectives alongside the country’s priorities, while taking into consideration stakeholdercapabilities and interests. It represents the first R&D sector-wide strategy in Qatar and defines five pillars or themes to achieve the country’s aspirations: Energy and Environment; Information and Computing Technology; Health and related Life Science and Technologies; Social sciences, Arts and Humanities; as well as enterprise-wide interdisciplinary research and development.

The strategy, which is being implemented by Qatar Foundation’s research institutes, universities,service providers, government, industry and funders, is expected to nurture and enhance the cycle of innovation from university research through to commercialisation. Another of the strategy’s long-term goals is to increase the ratio of researchers in Qatar’s workforce by developing capabilities and building a competitive and diversified economy.