Qatar Foundation (QF) welcomed HE the Minister of State for Defence Affairs Dr Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah to Education City as he visited QF’s higher education and research and
development facilities.
Potential collaboration with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) across areas of education, training and research was also discussed on the occasion, according to a press statement
from QF.
The minister, who was accompanied by a high-level delegation from the ministry, met with senior leadership from QF’s homegrown Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) and deans from QF’s partner universities. The MoD delegation was also introduced to the work of Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP), part of Qatar Foundation Research and
Development (QF R&D).
Commenting on his visit, Dr al-Attiyah said: “I am delighted to have been invited to Education City to witness firsthand the amazing work being undertaken in support of our nation’s ambition to build a diverse, knowledge-based economy. Qatar Foundation has a vital role to play in achieving this aim, and the people within the organisation – who are working each day to educate and innovate – are key to Qatar’s long-term
objectives.”
The minister toured HBKU’s Research Complex, where the MoD delegation was introduced to Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI), one of HBKU’s three research institutes, and met with HBKU president Dr Ahmad M Hasnah and QCRI executive director Dr Ahmed
K Elmagarmid.
The visiting group was given a presentation on some of the centre’s technology research and development projects, including Arabic Language Technologies such as Speech Recognition and Machine
Translation research.
Dr Hasnah said, “This meeting with Qatar’s Ministry of Defence opens the door to future collaborations in the areas of education, research and executive education, allowing us to build human capacity in strategic industries, and helping pave the way for a bright and sustainable future for the country.”
As part of his visit to QF, Dr al-Attiyah met with Dr Hamad al-Ibrahim, executive vice-president of QF R&D, and with Dr Maher Hakim, managing director of QSTP.
Dr al-Ibrahim said: “It’s a great privilege to welcome Dr al-Attiyah to Qatar Foundation and demonstrate our commitment to excellence in education, research and community development to the Ministry of Defence delegation.”
The MoD delegation also met with Buthaina al-Nuaimi, president, Pre-University Education, and Sheikha Noof Ahmed bin Saif al-Thani, executive director, Education
Development Institute.