Secretary-General of the Qatar Research, Development and Innovation Council (QRDI) Engineer Omar Ali al-Ansari has said that the QRDI is focusing, during the ongoing Web Summit Qatar 2026, on empowering startups, creating high-quality investment opportunities, and expanding co-operation with major international institutions in vital sectors including artificial intelligence (AI), sustainability, and health.
In an interview with the Qatar News Agency (QNA), al-Ansari said that these initiatives reflect the QRDI’s commitment to connecting Qatar’s innovation ecosystem with the world and propelling it towards a more prosperous future.
He added that the partnership between the QRDI and the Summit aims to build a bridge connecting innovators in Qatar with global platforms, thus contributing to strengthening the national innovation ecosystem. He noted that the QRDI has been a strategic partner of Web Summit Qatar since 2024.
He said that the QRDI leverages this global platform to expand areas of co-operation and create high-quality opportunities. He pointed out that, with the development of this partnership, Web Summit has transformed into a platform for launching strategic projects and bringing together local and international experts in research and innovation, along with leading figures from the government and industry sectors and startup founders.
Strategic partner
QRDI is a strategic partner of Web Summit Qatar 2026 for the third consecutive time and also plays a key role in the Corporate Innovation Summit, the high-level event that preceded the Summit and brought together leading business executives, decision-makers, and innovators from around the world.
Al-Ansari said that the QRDI is no longer merely a supporter of research and innovation funding, but has become a vital link connecting the public and private sectors and linking universities with research centres, contributing to building an integrated system that supports shaping Qatar’s knowledge-based future.
Al-Ansari noted that the QRDI has established a broad network of partnerships with several key national institutions, including Hamad International Airport, Hassad Food, Ooredoo Qatar, and Milaha, in addition to the Hamad Medical Corporation’s Itqan Center and Qatar Media City.
These partnerships have also been strengthened through joint initiatives with the Ministry of Labour, Qatari Diar, and several other state institutions that support innovation and entrepreneurship. He noted that QRDI has also sought to expand its international presence, becoming a partner with several leading research institutions, technology companies, and innovation networks, with the aim of exchanging expertise and building strategic partnerships that serve future needs. In this context, he said that the QRDI has established prominent international partnerships, including with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), the Qatar-Spain Innovation Program (QASIP), and Alchemist Doha, as well as collaborating with institutions in Sweden and Denmark, a partnership agreement with a Singaporean institution, and other initiatives that promote research and innovation exchange globally.
Al-Ansari affirmed that the QRDI, established in 2018, operates from a clear vision to bolster Qatar’s efforts to become a global leader in scientific research and innovation, and to build a competitive knowledge-based economy grounded in creativity and technology.
He said that the QRDI represents a pivotal strategic step towards building an integrated national system that supports researchers and innovators, unifies national efforts, and positions Qatar on the global innovation map. Al-Ansari emphasised that the Council focuses its efforts on empowering innovative researchers and entrepreneurs through three main pillars: funding through dedicated programmes to support research and innovation and cultivate talent and expertise; co-ordinating the implementation of the national innovation agenda and ensuring the integration of efforts by all stakeholders, and maintaining continuous communication to strengthen ties within the innovation ecosystem both locally and globally, and to raise awareness of Qatar’s progress in this field.
The QRDI launched several pioneering national initiatives, including the Qatar Open Innovation Program, which connects national challenges with innovative solutions from startups and researchers worldwide, and the Small and Medium Enterprises Innovation Grant (SBIG), which empowers companies to grow and lead the future through innovation.
These initiatives also include the Rising Innovators Award (RIA), which supports applied research of national priority and provides a global platform for young innovators to showcase their ideas, as well as Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP-Q), which fosters collaboration between academic institutions and industry to ensure effective knowledge transfer.
Qatar National Vision 2030
All these efforts reflect the Qatar Research, Development and Innovation Council’s commitment to achieving Qatar National Vision 2030 and building an integrated research and innovation ecosystem that drives economic diversification and establishes the foundations for a robust and thriving knowledge economy.
In this context, the Corporate Innovation Summit complements the QRDI’s efforts, bringing together leading figures and innovators to discuss the most pressing challenges facing the business world.
It offers a full-day networking experience, including advanced training sessions, to engage with pioneers shaping the future of business in the 21st century. The Web Summit is one of the world’s leading events in technology and innovation. The Qatar edition is the flagship event for the Middle East and North Africa region, aiming to establish Qatar as a global hub for innovation and entrepreneurship, and to enhance its position as a platform that brings together global investment, advanced technology, and collaboration between international and local institutions.
Regarding the key achievements, QRDI Secretary-General Omar Ali al-Ansari indicated that since 2018 the QRDI has played a pivotal role in transforming innovative research ideas and projects into practical and sustainable solutions aimed at improving the quality of life of individuals and protecting the environment. He pointed out that among the achievements that have been made is the development of innovation communities and the consolidation of the national orientation, as the QRDI has succeeded through this vital field in building an effective and interconnected network, which includes more than 760 registered members within its communities through the Innovation Lighthouse (InnoLight) platform.
In parallel with these efforts, the QRDI also committed to developing a comprehensive national strategy to ensure that innovation is consistent with national objectives by involving more than 90 organisations, entities and research centres in the strategy update process, in addition to conducting more than 30 external consultations with various governmental, industrial and academic sectors, to ensure inclusiveness and integration.
To reinforce this trend, he said that the QRDI organised a specialised workshop to anticipate the future of artificial intelligence, with the active participation of more than 40 organisations, reflecting the QRDI’s keenness to build a national consensus on research and innovation priorities.
National capabilities
Alongside these efforts, the QRDI continued to work on developing research, development and innovation talents. In terms of building national capabilities, the QRDI paid great attention to developing young and professional talents. The QRDI received more than 560 applications within student support programmes, and more than 130 outstanding projects and students were honoured.
He added that specialised training programmes such as the Government Innovation Leadership Program, the Corporate Innovation Leadership Program, and training programmes for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) witnessed the participation of more than 400 individuals, reflecting the expansion of the scope of our programmes in this field.
He indicated that, as part of supporting student innovation, the QRDI attracted more than 1,500 students through the NSRIE 2025 exhibition, where they presented 798 innovative projects from 137 schools, while 200 students from 40 schools participated in the FameLab programme. He noted that last year outstanding student projects were selected to represent the State of Qatar in the ISEF and ITEX 2026 international competitions.
In addition to efforts to enhance the environment that supports research and innovation and protect research outputs, al-Ansari pointed out that the QRDI has taken several strategic steps in this field. The first Intellectual Property Management Clinic for SMEs in Qatar was established in co-operation with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), which provided vital support to startups and innovators.
He pointed out that, in line with local capacity-building efforts, the “Mumaken” programme has successfully trained and certified more than 40 intellectual property officials and managers, thus enhancing national expertise in this strategic field.
Secretary-General of the QRDI Engineer Omar Ali al-Ansari concluded his remarks to QNA by discussing the plans and objectives that the QRDI is working to achieve locally and internationally.