QU forum explores opportunities for collaboration

Qatar University College of Engineering (QU-CENG) organised its “Academic-Industry Networking Forum”, to identify opportunities for collaboration between academia and stakeholders.
The event was attended by CENG dean Dr Khalifa al-Khalifa, Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) executive director Dr Abdul Sattar al-Taie, QNRF Information and Communication Technology Programme senior manager Dr Munir Tag, and CENG associate deans for Academic Affairs Prof Abdelmagid Hammuda and for Research and Graduate Studies Prof Abbes Amira, as well as CENG faculty and staff.
The event brought together representatives from many industries and government agencies. They had the opportunity to exchange their ideas and experiences on various research areas related to information and communication technology, energy and environment, and biomedical and health.
Dr al-Khalifa said, “This event is part of CENG’s commitment to cement relations with industrial stakeholders and push forward collaborations and joint initiatives in order to enhance CENG services that respond to industry’s requirements and needs. It will further develop the progressive research efforts between both parties towards more wide partnerships that benefit the community and the country in all
related fields.”
Dr al-Taie said, “ It is particularly encouraging to see the level of engagement and insight by the attendees of the forum, during the roundtable discussions, on how best to meet Qatar’s national research priorities and the thematic areas of research focus identified by QNRF within its ongoing funding programs. This reflects the commitment and responsiveness of the research community to addressing the nation’s greatest needs.”
Dr Tag said, “ Over the last ten years, QNRF has been funding research that focused on building capacity, capability and infrastructure. We are now focusing on creating research impact on the economy and the society in Qatar in view of achieving a knowledge-based economy. Such interactions will help in addressing the problems and challenges through our research funding programmes and lead to more innovation and entrepreneurship.”
Prof Amira said, “We recognise the importance of the university-industry collaboration in facing different challenges resulted in particular from the current economic climate and recent developments in the region. The collaboration between industry and academia has always supported improvement and innovation in the industry and helps to ensure industrial relevance in academic research.”