Manama: Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF), a member of Qatar Foundation Research and Development (QF R&D), has launched a joint research support programme in partnership with the UK Government’s Science and Innovation Network, The British Council, and UK Higher Education International Unit.
“The ‘Qatar/UK Research Networking Programme’ is a new and exciting initiative that will promote knowledge transfer, establish new research links, and develop existing ones between some of the best minds in the research community,” Abdul Sattar Al Taie, QNRF Executive Director, said. “This initiative will also promote advanced scientific research in a variety of fields, further bolstering long-term sustainable development and knowledge transfer in Qatar.”
Under the new initiative, two-member teams, comprising a researcher from Qatar and another from the UK, will submit proposals to QNRF regarding the organisation of research workshops in Qatar in selected research areas.
At these workshops each senior scientist will provide mentorship to their junior colleagues, in an effort to facilitate partnerships that will lead to the planning and submission of joint research bids in the future to UK and Qatar funding agencies.
“This new initiative is in line with QNRF’s strategy to support research efforts that contribute to the development of Qatar’s knowledge-based economy,” Abdul Nasser Al Ansari, QNRF Deputy Executive Director, said.
The new programme aims to lay the foundations of a cooperation framework between Qatari researchers and their counterparts in the UK as discussed during the ‘QF/UK Road Ahead Forum’ held at King’s College London earlier this year.
The cooperation framework will function as a capacity building platform for junior researchers in both countries, while providing undergraduate and post-graduate students in Qatar with exposure to the latest research under way in the UK.
The deadline for proposal submissions is September 28, with the results set to be announced in December.
The initiative reflects QNRF’s commitment to promote collaboration with British researchers in an attempt to foster a scientific culture that supports Qatar Foundation’s (QF) mission to build Qatar’s innovation and technology capacity.
