The QNRF will focus its funding on activities that will advance its mission and goals. The QNRF will use competitive funding mechanisms and apply to each proposal multiple decision criteria, such as technical merit and responsiveness to strategic goals. Figure 1.2 (presented below) shows the relationship between the timing of the introduction of these funding activities and the evolving strategy.
The QNRF will provide funding for the following activities:
National Priorities Research Program
The National Priorities Research Program will be the largest funding activity of the QNRF and the primary means by which the QNRF will address key national needs through research. The QNRF will articulate the priority research areas and a funding strategy for each, and then solicit for and work interactively with researchers in the salient fields to develop primarily multi-year, multi-investigator grant proposals. Initially, the QNRF should select no more than three priority research areas; examples of priority areas might include health sciences, oil and gas production, or educational reform. Over time, however, the selected priority areas may change and grow, consistent with national needs, funding, and QNRF staff capacity.
The National Priorities Research Program is envisioned as consisting largely, if not entirely, of groupings of integrated and interlocking individual projects in particular research areas. These coherent project groupings will constitute “programs” within the larger National Priorities Research Program. Teams of researchers and groupings of related projects or “programs” may come from a single institution, or involve multiple institutions, and may span academe and industry. Researchers will spend at least one and preferably two or more years on one or more projects; when they leave, they may be replaced on those projects by new, incoming researchers. New researchers may also initiate projects, most likely adding to or complementing an existing program. Hence, the research team will be frequently changing, but not all at once. Additionally, QNRF staff will foster continuing relationships with selected researchers, who would periodically return to Qatar to continue in the overall program.
Undergraduate Research Experience Program
The QNRF will seek to stimulate a broad array of undergraduate research opportunities in Education City and Qatar University through faculty- and other researcher-led projects involving one or more students. This Program will supplement existing opportunities and contribute to workforce training and wider participation of women in the economy, by funding activities above and beyond those available through ordinary coursework during the academic year. For example, students may undertake projects during semester or summer breaks. In addition to a research-based education, students will gain experience with team-based research collaboration with faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and other undergraduates or research staff. Under this Program, the QNRF would solicit proposals from Qatar’s academic institutions.
Workshops, Conferences, and Short Courses
These activities, which will occur in Qatar, will include domestic and international participants. Internationally represented workshops, conferences, and short courses will help to connect researchers in Qatar to their colleagues abroad, as well as attract and inform scientists from abroad about research and opportunities in Qatar. They will further serve to expose undergraduates to the importance of social networks in fields of science, engineering, and the arts and humanities. The QNRF also will actively engage researchers, government officials, and business leaders in discussions to encourage collaboration and build a sense of common purpose within Qatar.
Joint Ventures in Innovative Enterprises
The QNRF would fund in whole or in part innovative enterprises and related research proposed by those doing business in Qatar, based entirely on their initiative. The QNRF could partner with a university, firm, or individuals to pursue applied research in a particularly promising area with a goal of commercialization. Each project would require at least one Qatari partner.
Distinguished Fellowships
The QNRF will seek to attract internationally known researchers and distinguished individuals in the sciences, engineering, arts, and humanities to reside in Qatar for a period of several months up to a year, and share their expertise and talent with the Qatar community. This activity is one of several means to connect Qatar to the international research community, raise its visibility, and offer additional mentors to students in Qatar.
Biannual National Research Survey
This activity will create the national repository of research activities, including data collection efforts, findings, and scientific and technical publications. The staff of the QNRF will publish every other year a summary of all research conducted in Qatar, including research conducted by undergraduates.
Extension Service
As a potential option for the future, the QNRF also may wish to consider providing an extension service to help the industries and government of Qatar apply research results generated by Qatar Foundation’s investments in Education City, Science and Technology Park, and the QNRF. The extension service would provide an outreach service to Qatari institutions to help them understand and use the research that might be applicable to their needs, and identify faculty and research staff who have interests that could position them as consultants to Qatari institutions, or who have students who would be suitable matches to employment opportunities. These activities would also help the QNRF to better understand the needs of Qatari institutions.
