International speakers from the fields of research, innovation, government, and industry will share their perspectives on how to ensure a research and development ecosystem can generate impact, strengthen economies and societies, and improve lives, at the Qatar Foundation Annual Research Conference 2018 (ARC’18), which begins tomorrow .
The seventh edition of the conference, organised by Qatar Foundation Research and Development (QF R&D), will take place under the theme ‘R&D: Focusing On Priorities, Delivering Impact’, with a local and international audience coming together to support Qatar in developing world-class research and innovation that addresses national priorities and entering the global marketplace.
ARC’18 sessions will reflect the four thematic pillars defined in the Qatar National Research Strategy - Energy and Environment; Computing and Information Technology; Health and Biomedical; and Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities – with the conference being built around three tracks that will each focus on key topics for Qatar’s R&D ecosystem: the Researchers Track, the Innovation Track, and the Research Strategy Track.
On day one of ARC’18, Vivek Kundra, former chief information officer of the United States, will deliver the keynote address, ‘Leading Change and the Challenges of Transformation’, at the opening plenary session of the conference, before participating in a multinational panel discussion focusing on how R&D can address national needs while creating impact and supporting economic diversification through the commercialisation of solutions.
Panellists will also include HE Dr Mohamed bin Saleh al-Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry; Prof Hasan Mandal, president, Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey; David Roberts, distinguished faculty, Singularity University; and Dr Hamad al-Ibrahim, executive vice-president, QF R&D. Their discussion will be moderated by Deborah Wince-Smith, president and CEO, Council on Competitiveness , a US-based non-profit organisation that brings together business, industry, academic, and research leaders to shape economic policy.
“The true value of conferences such as ARC’18 lies in the intersection of multiple disciplines, and the bringing together of engines of innovation which can enable game-changing breakthroughs that drive a research and development agenda,” said Kundra.
“I’m looking forward to sharing how the building-blocks of innovation around technology can lead to national-scale changes, and also to learning from top minds on the topic of driving impact in sectors such as technology, energy, and healthcare.” he noted
Wince-Smith, who is also co-founder and president of the Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils, said, “I am looking forward to engaging with the world’s best and brightest science, technology, and research leaders to understand how, together, we can address and solve some of the greatest challenges facing humanity.
“In a world of globally-scaled, emerging, and converging technological revolutions, spurring innovations across disciplines and boundaries, multidisciplinary approaches to research, conferences, studies, and investments are the only path forward. ARC’18’s recognition of the need for multi-disciplinarity distinguishes the conference, and provides a strong basis on which to support Qatar’s expanding R&D ecosystem,” she added.
Dr Hamad al-Ibrahim
