Biannual National Research Survey (BNRS)

Objective

This activity will create a national repository of research activities, including data collection efforts, findings, and scientific and technical publications.

Description

Every two years, QNRF will publish a summary of all research conducted in Qatar, including any conducted by undergraduates. For non-proprietary research, this survey will include names of investigators, titles of research, levels of expenditure and a concise presentation of research methods and results. For proprietary research, a lower level of detail will be published, consistent with the protection required for commercially–relevant research. (It is possible that QRNF may invest in a quality published product, which could also be used as an effective national and international marketing tool.)

Responsiveness to Challenges

An ongoing challenge for QNRF staff is to maintain an awareness of all research being conducted in Qatar, regardless of its source of funding. QNRF will also archive (at least in electronic form) the results of research sponsored by QNRF. (Most such projects will also publish in other forums.) QNRF’s archive will be a public record of research that will help to publicize research findings and to provide a corpus of work that can be used by future researchers to study the impact such funding activities have had on Qatar. 

Potential Benefits

This activity will inform not just the QNRF but other potential sponsors and beneficiaries of ongoing research in Qatar. It will provide a valuable source of information that could serve to speed up the rate of collaboration among researchers. At the same time, the survey could be used as a marketing tool to help recruit researchers from throughout the world and serve to promote and communicate Qatar’s research investments and outcomes nationally and internationally. It may take the form of periodic newsletters, a web site (serving as a national archive), and an annual report.