Technology innovation in the life sciences and economic building blocks of a knowledge economy were the topics explored recently at a special edition of the TECHtalk series hosted by Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP), a part of Qatar Foundation Research and Development (QF R&D).
The session hosted three high-profile speakers from the Netherlands and Qatar: Dr Bertholt Leeftink, director-general, Enterprise & Innovation, Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs; Professor Dr Jan Raaijmakers, chairman, Top Sector Life Sciences & Health and professor of Pharmaceutical Technology Assessment; and Professor Hilal Lashuel, executive director, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI).
Both the topics are of common interest to both Qatar and the Netherlands, it was stressed at the event which gathered key players from across Qatar’s health and innovation ecosystems, including representatives from Hamad Medical Corporation and the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH).
Professor Hilal talked about QBRI, a research and development entity under Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), which aims to improve healthcare through innovation.
Speaking about the potential of Qatar’s own health ecosystem, Dr Lashuel stressed that the country is an ideal place to pioneer innovative diabetes prevention programmes. Qatar’s plans for building a strong national health system and the relatively small size of its population, which can reduce barriers to rolling out impactful public health programmes, were cited as strengths in developing solutions that can benefit the country and the world.
In his speech, Professor Hilal said: “The future is bright here. Mission driven science and technology development coupled with academia, industry and government partnerships, provide a strong foundation for achieving greater integration, effectiveness and efficiency not only within QF, but also at the national level. Strategic international partnerships are further catalysts for innovation and capacity building.”
Dr Leeftink gave an overview of Dutch policies and financial instruments promoting innovation that supports the creation of a knowledge-based economy. He detailed the Netherlands’ ambitious goal to spend 2.5% of its GDP on research and development and to rank among the world’s top five knowledge economies by 2020. In addition to healthcare, he indicated that energy, water and agriculture are top-priority sectors for the country’s national development.
His keynote speech was well received by local officials who share a commitment to innovation and overall development of a knowledge-based economy. In addition to learning from the Netherlands, the talk was an opportunity for Qatar-based economic and innovation experts to share their insights into local and regional innovation in the healthcare sector.
Professor Dr Raaijmakers gave a high-level overview and history of life science and health innovation in the Netherlands, focusing on three important stages of development: cell and molecular biology, genomics and the convergence of different scientific disciplines.
Collaboration and convergence were cited as building blocks of innovation to address specific health challenges in the Netherlands, Qatar and around the world.
The TECHtalk was accompanied by a question and answer session where experts engaged a packed room of researchers, entrepreneurs and students in discussion.


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