Promoting RDI within culture and sports

His Excellency Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali, the Minister of Culture and Sports, has spoken about how research, development and innovation can play a key role in Qatar’s cultural heritage and sporting activities in Qatar – and help move the nation toward a sustainable future.

During a visit to Qatar Foundation (QF), His Excellency Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali emphasized the importance of education, research and innovation to human and social development in Qatar, and how instilling a culture of discovery, in people’s from an early age – and making it part of their culture and upbringing – will leave them better placed to recognize, deal with, and overcome challenges.

He also spoke about how such a culture will promote the benefits of positive and constructive criticism, and enable people to recognize the value of time, pursue their future goals, and be open to other cultures.

His Excellency Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali gave his views during a meeting with Dr. Ahmad M. Hasnah, President of QF member Hamad bin Khalifa University (HBKU), and Dr. Richard O'Kennedy, Vice-President of Research at HBKU and Vice-President for Research, Development and Innovation at Qatar Foundation. The meeting at the HBKU Research Complex highlighted the vision, message, and achievements of the university’s institutes and research centers, and discussed potential partnerships.

The meeting also brought together Dr. Omar El-Agnaf, Acting Executive Director of Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, Dr. Marc Vermeersch, Executive Director of Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute, and Dr. Ahmed K Elmagarmid, Executive Director of Qatar Computing Research Institute, all research centers under HBKU.

His Excellency Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali said: “I am very happy to be in Qatar Foundation, the beacon of knowledge and education.

“I was introduced to some of the activities and programs carried out by QF in the field of research, development, and innovation as well as QF’s activities in the field of education. Through its various events, QF sheds light on our reality and our future, and I would like to extend my warm wishes to this organization and its people.

"We consider that the Ministry of Culture and Sports, Qatar Foundation, and other institutions and entities are not isolated from one another. On the contrary, we act as one living organism, each of us representing one part. And together, we play the same symphony that has 2030 and Qatar’s development and prosperity as its mission.

“Our visit today is an introduction to create partnerships and joint programs between the Ministry of Culture and Sports and Qatar Foundation, in addition to the partnerships and work done between the two parties.

During the meeting, Dr. Hasnah presented an overview of HBKU and its colleges and how the university supports the sports sector in Qatar through programs operated with international entities, including its Master of Science in Exercise Science, Master of Science in Sport and Entertainment Management, and Masters in Sustainability and Major Sport Events.

His Excellency Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali was given an overview of Hamad bin Khalifa University Press, a publishing house that promotes Qatar’s culture both locally and internationally. He was also shown an example of Qatar Computing Research Institute’s achievements by being introduced to a Arabic language processing program called Farasah, which includes tools such as automated formatting, sentence structure, and grammar – reflecting QF’s commitment towards preserving the legacy of the Arabic language through science and research.

"The change that happens in societies is based on the change that happens within their culture and on building human capacity, not only through education,” said Dr. Hasnah.

“Our relationship with the Ministry of Culture and Sports is essential in the process of supporting social and cultural change for people living in Qatar, to help achieve the Qatar National Vision 2030.”

The tour also included a visit to QSTP – part of Qatar Foundation Research, Development and Innovation (QF RDI) – and its efforts to become an international hub for scientific and technological innovation and entrepreneurship, especially among young people, and attract leading technology companies and projects.