Executive Director’s Message | January 2021

New Year, New Beginnings

Dear Readers,

I wish you all a very happy new year and hope that this year brings with it health and happiness for you. The past year was very hard and challenging for us in ways we had neither expected nor prepared for.

Surrounded by difficulties in a time of crisis, we might not see the silver lining, but in reality, the COVID-19 pandemic has made us resilient and stronger. It has helped us realize our levels of responsiveness and readiness in times of emergency, highlighted the importance of pursuing globally-oriented health goals and policies, shed light on the crucial role that scientific research and innovation play in ensuring the well-being and survival of humankind and take a step back to set our priorities straight.

We at Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) too, took the last year to revisit our view of the future and adjust our activities and objectives accordingly. We are constantly reviewing the direction Qatar is heading in to align our activities and initiatives to the national vision and strategies. Therefore, we are innovating our programs to reflect the objectives stated in the Qatar Research, Development and Innovation Strategy (QRDI 2030) and create synergies between our stakeholders involved in the research and outcome implementation process to help Qatar meet its national objectives.

On the capacity building front, we have introduced a few changes to the Graduate Sponsorship Research Award (GSRA) and Postdoctoral Research Award (PDRA) to create synergy within the ongoing QNRF-funded projects to ensure a steady supply of talent and expertise to address Qatar’s national priorities and contribute to building a sustainable research ecosystem. Entering a new year, we have decided to allocate even more resources and efforts to prepare students at all levels and across all disciplines.

Coming to the newsletter, in this month’s issue of the Research Matters, you will learn about the legacy of the Arabian horse and our latest joint initiative to promote equine research in the region. Moreover, you will also meet the winners of this year’s Best Research Image of an Outcome (BRIO) competition, a unique QNRF initiative to celebrate the often-overlooked artistic side of research.

In closing, I would like to announce that QNRF has very exciting plans for this year and we are soon launching two very interesting initiatives. So stay tuned to our website and social media channels to learn more, and start working on your applications because it is going to be a very busy year ahead.