Professor al-Misnad and professor Hanlon shake hands after signing the agreement, while Dr al-Emadi looks on
By Noimot Olayiwola/Staff Reporter
Qatar University’s Social and Economic Survey Research Institute (Sesri) yesterday renewed its partnership agreement with the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research to further develop its capacity and expand as a leading social science research organisation in Qatar as well as a key contributor to social science research in the Gulf region.
QU president professor Sheikha Abdulla al-Misnad and University of Michigan (MU) provost and executive vice-president for Academic Affairs professor Philip Hanlon signed the agreement in the presence of Sesri director Dr Darwish al-Emadi and Institute for Social Research (ISR) director professor James Jackson. 
The renewal of the partnership comes after a successful near-completion of the first collaborative agreement between the ISR and QU that was initiated at the time of Sesri’s establishment in 2008. 
The success of the partnership is being demonstrated in the majority of goals and objectives of the agreement being met or exceeded. 
In renewing the agreement, Sesri will continue to strengthen collaboration with ISR in designing and conducting academic research, advance relationships between ISR, Sesri and QU faculty and students, and implement training and consultation activities.
The agreement will also establish or expand upon a number of facilities and services including a Policy Analysis Centre that will produce and disseminate Sesri’s reports dealing with important issues of public policy; archiving and dissemination services for documenting and preserving data generated by Sesri to be accessible to QU faculty and students; and a telephone calling centre which will draw on Sesri’s face-to-face survey interviewing operations.
Speaking before signing the agreement, professor al-Misnad recalled that in 2008, Sesri was born out of the belief that the national university was the natural incubator of social science research in Qatar and bears the responsibility of documenting, analysing and predicting social phenomenon of interest to Qatari society, especially in these interesting times of transformation and development.
“In four short years, Sesri has garnered recognition for its innovative surveys both nationally and regionally, the training workshops it has conducted to build capacity in social science research, and its collaboration with important national bodies in Qatar.  The collaboration with the ISR has ensured that every phase of the Institute’s development has been implemented to the highest standards,” the official noted.
Professor Hanlon noted that Sesri, which has built a fully operational survey research institute that carries out studies of a quality and scope that is unmatched in the Gulf, “is already among the very best institutes of its kind in the Arab world”.
“Evidence of Sesri’s accomplishment comes not only from the quality of the surveys the institute carries out but also from its success in obtaining grants in international peer-reviewed competitions and in placing reports of its research in important peer-reviewed international journals,” he added.
Commenting on the renewed agreement, Dr al-Emadi said: “In continuing this collaboration with ISR, we will benefit further from the experience of working with a premier research university known for its wealth of social science research and teaching experience. Importantly, QU students involved in survey research will have the opportunity to develop skills and competencies in this field that will be of immense value in their professional careers and which will ultimately contribute to advancing survey research in Qatar by seeking answers to everyday needs and concerns of the community.”
Dr al-Emadi further noted that Sesri has been an exemplary addition to the existing research units at QU and pointed to its omnibus survey on Life in Qatar, the first-ever conducted in the country, the Social Capital Survey, and the World Values Survey, as examples. 
“The Institute conducts rigorous social science research on issues such as labour and employment, modernisation and shifts in social values, education, health, family structure and media impact - all areas of importance to Qatari society,” he pointed out.
“As  we approach the fifth year of Sesri’s inception, we renew our commitment to keeping abreast of the important social and economic developments that will impact society, such as those that will lead up to and accompany the World Cup 2022 for example, thus ensuring our contribution to the Qatar National Development Strategy 2011-2016 and Qatar National Vision 2030,” he added.
UM vice-provost for International Affairs Dr Mark Tessler said: “All of us at the University have consistently found our collaboration with Sesri not only to be enjoyable but also deeply rewarding.  It has been particularly satisfying because of Qatar University’s visionary leadership and the opportunity to work with an extraordinarily able and dedicated team of professionals at Sesri”.
Also present at the signing ceremony were US Ambassador to Qatar and a UM alumnus Susan L Ziadeh, QU vice-president and chief financial officer Dr Humaid al-Midfaa, acting vice-president for Academic Affairs Dr Mazen Hasna, vice-president for Institutional Planning and Development Dr Saif al-Sowaidi, ISR Centre for Political Studies director Dr Nancy Burns, several Sesri faculty, students and US embassy staff.