The forum, which took place from October 7-9 in Kyoto, was held under the patronage of Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Dr Nabeel al-Salem, chief adviser partnerships at QF RDI, formed part of the delegation representing QF RDI at the forum.
He said: “The STS Forum provides an impactful global platform for us to not only collaborate with our Japanese counterparts, but to also forge connections with a broad range of potential international partners working in areas of interest to Qatar.
“(What we learnt) from the various themed sessions will find resonance among our societies, as it is carried through the human network we establish and reaffirm here.”
On the opening day of the forum, al-Salem delivered a plenary talk on “Research and Innovation – A Qatar Foundation Perspective”, where he highlighted the unique challenges facing nations such as Qatar, especially when pursuing growth and development in research and innovation.
With Qatar as a case study, he highlighted the different approaches taken by the Qatar Foundation to address Qatar’s human capacity challenges in science, technology, and innovation, and its relatively-nascent RDI infrastructure and initiatives.
Al-Salem explained that the concerted efforts of the QF, along with national stakeholders and international partners, are bearing fruit, with Qatar seeing increases in its number of researchers, the quality and impact of its scientific publications, and its Intellectual Property activities, as well as capitalising on its strengths and existing capabilities through a focused agenda.
The STS Forum, launched in 2002 by chairman Koji Omi, a former finance minister of Japan, has become a premier international event in science and technology.
Omi shares a close association with the RDI community in Qatar, having attended the Qatar Foundation Annual Research Conference in 2013, 2014, and 2016.
