QF officials and guests at the QNRF programme
At its fourth annual forum, Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) yesterday announced that it has awarded $140.5mn to research proposals for the National Priorities Research Programme (NPRP), which has been specifically designed to foster a culture of research in Qatar.
Now in its fifth cycle, the research funds mark an increase of 16% over the previous cycle. Proposals received covered a broad range of disciplines such as the natural sciences, engineering and technology, medical and health sciences, agricultural sciences, social sciences and humanities.
QNRF, a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), launched the fifth cycle of the NPRP in September 2011. Since then, it has received over 1,460 letters of intent, generating a large number of research proposals.
The 632 proposals that qualified were sent for external review and evaluation by up to five international peer reviewers.
During the keynote speech, Faisal M al-Suwaidi, QF president of research and development, highlighted the importance of research for the development of the nation. “Qatar will be an international centre for research and development, excellence, and innovation,” he predicted.
Al-Suwaidi said that the principles governing scientific growth in Qatar are three-fold: societal, economic and strategic needs; the presence of local expertise and planned future capacity; and the opportunity for substantive impact locally, regionally, and
globally.
QNRF adheres to strict guidelines. Its criteria for selecting proposals take into account originality, potential benefits for Qatar and the region, as well as the relevant qualifications of the research team.
The results of the fifth cycle of the NPRP were announced by Abdul Sattar al-Taie, executive director, QNRF, who said: “With the forum now in its fourth year, QNRF, through its comprehensive range of research funding programmes, continues to advance Qatar Foundation’s mission of promoting a culture of scientific research in Qatar across all disciplines and across all sectors.”
Al-Taie’s presentation revealed a 57% increase in the number of awarded institutions in Qatar this year, confirming an upward trend from last year’s figure. A total of 156 projects were awarded $140.5mn in research grants.
The top recipients of QNRF grants in Qatar include Qatar University with 62 projects receiving a total of $54mn; Texas A&M University Qatar with 39 projects receiving $38.75mn; Weill Cornell Medical College Qatar with 13 projects receiving $12.55mn and Hamad Medical Corporation $11.4mn for 12 projects.
The fifth cycle has seen grants go to a total of 22 institutions, involving 2,323 people in the country.
Al-Taie said that the NPRP continues to enjoy an unprecedented level of success, attracting increasing attention from world-class researchers.
The sixth cycle of the NPRP is scheduled to begin in September 2012. Projects are awarded funds on a competitive basis and are subject to rigorous analysis by QNRF, with the successful submissions representing 25% of all proposals
received.
Omar Boukhris, senior manager, award administration at QNRF, also introduced the new QNRF annual merit awards, with Texas A&M University at Qatar being awarded ‘Research Office of the Year’, whilst Milijov Belic, a key investigator from Texas A&M University at Qatar, collected the award for ‘Best Research Team of the Year’ on behalf of his colleagues.
QNRF projects have so far resulted in 800 publications, one patent and three additional patent applications.