The British Minister for Universities and Science, David Willetts, concluded a visit to Education City where he took part in a research roundtable organised by the British Council and hosted by the Georgetown School of Foreign Service in Qatar (SFSQ).
Officials at the high-level meeting representing educational institutions from across the UK discussed with representatives of Education City universities and other prominent Qatar Foundation organisations the future possibilities of collaboration between the two countries.
The representatives of British universities asked about the priorities Qatari institutions were pursuing, in order for the visiting UK contingent to be able to disseminate those ideas with their schools, as well as with other potential partners in the UK.
The focus of the brainstorming session revolved around student exchange programmes, joint research initiatives, and other mechanisms of co-operation.
Gerd Nonneman, dean, SFSQ, stressed that through future programmes, “SFSQ hopes to have an impact on the local community, as well as the region, and beyond, through collaborative efforts in research and education through these partnerships and programme linkages.”
The meeting concluded with plans for further engagement and discussion between the two countries’ institutions. Martin Hope, director, the British Council Qatar, which co-hosted the roundtable at SFSQ, said: “We have agreed to have working groups of experts that will come together to map the potential opportunities between Qatar and the UK at different levels of education as we move forward.”
Willetts reflected on his impression of his trip to the region, and the Georgetown roundtable, noting that the ambitious plans of Qatar and its National Vision 2030 are very impressive. “There is clearly a lot of investment made in the areas of education and research. I hope in the future, our universities can contribute to this ambitious plan and vision in the spirit of partnership,” he added.