QATAR University intends to develop a Social and Economic Survey Research Institute in association with the world-renowned Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, US, it was announced yesterday.
An agreement has been signed between Qatar University (QU) and Institute for Social Research (ISR) whereby the latter would provide technical and professional assistance to the proposed Social and Economic Survey Research Institute (SESRI).
“Qatar University views this venture as an important step in fostering fruitful intellectual co-operation through investigating a wide range of social science and economic issues and in supporting university-wide and society-wide infrastructure for qualitative and quantitative research,” president Prof Sheikha Abdulla al-Misnad said.
In line with QU’s mission to promote the cultural and scientific development of Qatari society while preserving its Arabic characteristics and Islamic cultural heritage, the SESRI is described as a valuable addition to existing research units such as the Gas Processing Center and the Environmental Studies Center.
SESRI is to conduct rigorous social science research in areas of importance to Qatar society, including labour, commerce, economic dynamics, modernisation and cultural values, family structure and dynamics, changes in the social values system, and the influence of the media.  In addition, SESRI will conduct comparative studies, which will place Qatari indicators in regional and international contexts.
In collaborating with the ISR, which stands out among University of Michigan’s many inter-disciplinary units, QU is joining hands with a premier research university known for its wealth of social science research and teaching experience.
ISR stands out among the University of Michigan’s many interdisciplinary units. It is the longest standing laboratory for research in the social sciences in the US, housing much of the world’s significant archives of social and political data.
From the late 1940s to today, the ISR has for more than 50 years collected, stored and analysed data on the behaviour, attitudes, health and wealth of populations around the world.  
It is also renowned for its respect and support for diversity, with a number of researchers from every continent going to the ISR to teach and conduct research.