Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) and the Institut Pasteur have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU), announcing a new partnership to work closely in biomedical research.
HBKU is a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development.
The two entities will collaborate in the fields of academics, research, teaching and knowledge sharing. The agreement was signed by HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad al-Thani, chairperson of Hamad Bin Khalifa University and vice-chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation, and Dr Christian Bréchot, president of Institut Pasteur, at a ceremony at Salle des Actes, Institut Pasteur in Paris.
Dr Khaled al-Mansouri, Qatar’s ambassador to France, Dr Ahmad M Hasnah, president of HBKU, and senior officials from both institutions were present at the ceremony.

The MoU will see a close collaboration in joint research and academic collaboration in genomics and precision medicine. The partnership will have students, researchers and scientists from both entities working together on research projects as early as 2018.
HE Sheikha Hind said, “Hamad Bin Khalifa University has consistently and diligently played a prominent role in promoting and facilitating innovation, scientific research and academic excellence in Qatar with the aspiration of global impact. We firmly believe that our commitment to being a global leader in innovation and education has yielded numerous achievements since our inception."



HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad al-Thani with other officials at the event


“Today, with this new partnership with the Institut Pasteur, our researchers, scholars, academics and students will be further emboldened to facilitate ground-breaking discoveries in healthcare, biomedical sciences and genomics,” HE Sheikha Hind added.
Named after the renowned Louis Pasteur, Institut Pasteur brings with it 130 years of breakthrough discoveries in preventing and treating infectious diseases. With 10 Nobel laureates, the Institute’s contributions to medicine and physiology are innumerable.
“Institut Pasteur has been involved one year ago in training medical professionals from the Qatari health ministry by organising an intensive outbreak investigation course in Doha. The signing of the agreement with HBKU enlarges the frame of the partnership to higher education and research institutions led by Qatar Foundation,” said Dr Bréchot. “Hence, it will include in addition to infectious diseases the research on most prevalent chronic diseases in the region like diabetes, cancer, neurodegenerative and genetic diseases, particularly in the context of the successful Qatari genome project.”
The agreement will see faculty and PhD students from the two institutions exercise more mobility between the campuses for teaching and research. Beyond academics, they will actively work towards strengthening the healthcare infrastructure in Qatar.
HBKU and Institut Pasteur will organise and facilitate conferences, seminars, workshops and training to raise awareness and inspire the coming generations of scientists in the field of genomics and the prevention of infectious disease and other research areas.
Dr al-Mansouri said, “Qatar continues to remain steadfast in its commitment towards the country’s human development goals. Qatar aims to enhance its co-operation and partnership with France in different fields and partnerships such as this one with the internationally recognised Institut Pasteur and HBKU are a testament to Qatar’s role in strengthening its collaborations that foster knowledge sharing and co-operation.”
Eric Chevallier, French ambassador to Qatar, added: “This partnership demonstrates again the strong ties between France and Qatar in the domains of education and research."

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