Qatar’s new generation of scientists and researchers are being supported to embark on their careers and create an impact through two revamped programmes launched by the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF).
The Graduate Sponsorship Research Award (GSRA) and Postdoctoral Research Award (PDRA) – the latest cycles of which are now open for submission of proposals – have been embedded into the QNRF’s Qatar Research Leadership Programme (QRLP).
The aim of the QRLP is to identify and nurture Qatar’s finest homegrown science and research talent by providing high quality training, practical experience in collaboration with prestigious universities and research institutions around the world, financial support, and a gateway to opportunity.
The online proposal submission process for the QRLP-GSRA will conclude on May 6.
The awards will be announced in June.
The window for QRLP-PDRA proposals, which should also be submitted online, but through Qatar-based institutions with approved research offices, closes at noon on April 10, with the awards also being announced in June.
Led by the capacity building team of the QNRF, part of the Qatar Foundation Research and Development (QF R&D), the two tracks – QRLP-GSRA and QRLP-PDRA – are designed to support candidates from graduate level, through postdoctoral studies, to their early careers, enabling them to play leading roles in advancing Qatar’s ambitious research agenda.
The alignment of these tracks with the QRLP, from which 52 scientists and researchers have graduated in the eight years since its establishment, is designed to produce human capital equipped to underpin and sustain the nation’s research and innovation ecosystem.
“By aligning these awards with the QRLP, we are streamlining and synergising the process which leads aspiring scientists and researchers to become key players in the advancement of Qatar’s research and development sector,” said QNRF executive director Dr Abdul Sattar al-Taie.
“The QRLP-GSRA and QRLP-PDRA tracks will nurture talent and enhance competitiveness, consequently driving excellence and equipping candidates with the greatest potential to create impact and ensure Qatar’s national priorities are identified and addressed.”
Through the competitive scholarships offered by the QRLP-GSRA, outstanding graduate students will be supported to undertake research-based studies towards Master’s and Doctoral degrees at approved institutions in Qatar and abroad.
By promoting such studies, it aims to encourage talented Qatar-based students to pursue careers in research and provide them with high-quality training that intertwines with, and supports, the work of Qatar’s research and academic community.
The QRLP-PDRA is designed to attract Qatar’s top PhD graduates and encourage independence in the early stage of their research careers.
It offers highly competitive fellowship awards, benefits, and expert mentoring, as it supports postdoctoral scholars to work within research groups focused on Qatar’s national priorities while providing research institutions with a pipeline of skilled staff and new ideas.
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