Dr Hamad Al Ibrahim, Executive Vice- President, QF R&D
The Qatar Foundation Annual Research Conference 2018 (ARC’18), which will be held under the theme ‘Focusing on Priorities, Delivering Impact,’ has received almost 1,000 scientific abstracts.
Researchers, innovators, thought-leaders and policymakers from Qatar and around the world will gather at Qatar Foundation Research and Development’s (QF R&D’s) flagship event, taking place at Qatar National Convention Centre from March 20 to 22, 2018, under the patronage of H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation.
ARC’18 will see members of the local and global research and innovation landscape participate in high-level discussions aimed at addressing Qatar’s greatest challenges and unlocking new opportunities for future impact, while showcasing homegrown research projects and the outcomes they have produced. The conference reflects QF R&D’s role as the advocate for Qatar’s research and development efforts, and its work with both international stakeholders and the nation’s research community in making Qatar a research and innovation hub for the region and the world.
The abstracts submitted for the conference comprise original research focusing on the four ARC’18 pillars, Energy and Environment; Information and Computing Technology, Health and Biomedical and Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities. A panel of experts will review the abstracts and consider them for paper or poster presentation at the conference.
“ARC’18 aims to show the real-world impact being delivered by researchers and innovators in Qatar on issues critical to the future sustainability and resilience of the nation, while bringing global perspectives to the challenges we face and amplifying Qatar’s commitment to becoming a world-class hub of research and innovation excellence,” said Dr Hamad Al Ibrahim, Executive Vice- President, QF R&D.
“Through ARC’18, we will illustrate to an international audience how the dynamic research and innovation ecosystem underpinned by QF R&D – which encompasses all levels and all sectors - is addressing Qatar’s national priorities, identifying and creating opportunities, generating impact, and driven by the goal of bringing tangible benefit to people’s lives,” he said.
ARC was launched in 2010, with its 2013 edition seeing Sheikha Moza announce Qatar’s Research Grand Challenges – water security, energy security, cybersecurity, and healthcare – toward which the efforts of the nation’s research and innovation community are now focused. More than 2,000 delegates attended ARC’16, the previous edition of the conference.
“The caliber of the abstracts submitted for ARC’18 consideration demonstrates the strength and vibrancy of Qatar’s research and innovation ecosystem,” said Dr Nabeel Al Salem, Chair of the ARC’18 Organizing Committee, and Executive Director of Operations, QF R&D. “This ecosystem is rising to the challenges of the present in order to build a sustainable future for Qatar, and ARC’18 will serve as a showcase of what it has already achieved, and a statement of what it aims to achieve,” said Dr Salem.
