More than 130 academics and experts gathered at a special Qatar University (QU) workshop in Doha to identify opportunities for collaboration between academia and all key stakeholders in the construction industry.

The “Bridging the Gap”, workshop was organised by QU’s College of Engineering (CENG) in collaboration with Constructing Excellence in Qatar (an Ashghal initiative) and sponsored by Qatari Diar.
The objective was to bridge the gap between the academic field and the industry, discuss problems, issues, and challenges facing the construction industry in the country.
The workshop also sought to build better connections between researchers and industry practitioners, and to identify areas of collaboration for future action research and education, according to QU-CENG. 
The event brought representatives from many private and government agencies who had the opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences on research and teaching related to construction. 
Subjects covered included safety, health and welfare, Lean delivery, digital and BIM, procurement and supply chain management.
“This event is part of CENG’s commitment to reinforce relations with industrial stakeholders and push forward collaborations and joint initiatives to enhance CENG services that respond to industry’s requirements and needs,” QU-CENG acting dean, professor Abdelmagid Hammuda said. “It will further develop the progressive research efforts between both parties towards wider partnerships that benefit everyone.”
Constructing Excellence’s chief executive Don Ward said: “Any sustainable industry needs strong links with universities, and construction is no exception.”
“This is an important start to help academics and industry understand each others’ challenges and find ways to work together for mutual benefit. We look forward to supporting this programme of activity,” he added.
Dr Abdulla Y al-Sayed, chief project delivery officer – Asia & Africa, Qatari Diar, presented an overview of local and international projects of Qatari Diar. 
“I am proud to share with you the unique experience of implementing Lean Construction in Lusail City programme since 2008 to advance the knowledge of project delivery processes from planning to operation,” he said.
Dr Luai M. El-Sabek, head of utilities, Qatari Diar, invited all academic and research institutions in Qatar to support this initiative to bridge the gap between theory and practice. 
He highlighted the importance of introducing Lean construction education and action research to support the community and empower tomorrow’s engineers to achieve Qatar Vision 2030.

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