HH Sheikha Moza opens first Annual Research Forum

Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, the Chairperson of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, patronized on Sunday the opening session of the Qatar Foundation Annual Research Forum at the Doha Sheraton Hotel. Her Highness  welcomed the attendees at this forum, which represents an embodiment of the will in Qatar to make of scientific research one of the main strategic pillars of our national vision. Her Highness pointed out to her speech three days ago about the connection between education and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); a relationship which due to its strength, has generated global consensus.

"How can the developing world representing the majority of humans on this planet engage itself in this scientific and technological leap and how can it invest its results in achieving these goals?" Her Highness wondered. She regretted that the reality reveals clearly that the scientific leap is neither comprehensive nor fair to all humans, it is simply another side of Pareto s principle, known as the 80-20 rule. Her Highness Sheikha Moza noted that time has come for globalization in the research field to be recognized, because it has become acceptable to talk about globalization in the fields of education, economy, culture and information technology.

"What I mean by globalization in the research field is not a globalization looking for new markets and opportunities and seeking profits, but I particularly mean a globalization which should take into account the attributes, requirements and needs of the developing world," she added. Her Highness underlined that just as education should grow in the local environment instead of being imported or imposed, scientific research should be based on the local knowledge requirements and on meeting the needs of the society. Hence, scientific research should take into account the needs of developing countries and not be confined to meeting the needs of a minority group of people. The needs of developing societies relate to what is necessary for survival whereas these needs in developed societies aim to achieve their welfare, Her Highness Sheikha Moza said. She underlined that providing the necessary funding is among the priorities to launch a realistic scientific research project addressing the needs and achieving the objectives. Her Highness regretted the unjustified use of military technology which leads to an environmental imbalance not only affecting the atmosphere, but also the water basins and the ground soil which poses a present and a future threat to all living creatures.

Her Highness underlined that scientific research is the path towards reconciliation with the environment aiming at achieving environmental security. This is what lead Qatar to create a research structure open to all competencies through the establishment of Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP) in addition to research centres specialized in biomedical research, information technology and environmental sciences. Qatar also provided the needed funding through creating Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) and the endowment allocated for that same purpose, she added. Her Highness Sheikha Moza said that the approach which Qatar adopted, in line with achieving the goals of the 2030 national vision, is based on preparing and rehabilitating the national frameworks in order to build Arab, regional and international partnerships and to guide researches towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. She saw that scientific research should have the ability to achieve the strategic goals as priorities, and should also address the changes accompanying the national vision.

"For instance I expect for Qatar’s scientific research to contribute to offering solutions to the various challenges we might face as we prepare for hosting the 2022 World Cup...We are in a critical phase and we shouldn’t rely, from this date onwards, on hybrid projects which may not be useful to us. We want an innovative and a creative forum, specializing in offering solutions and alternatives and building partnerships in order to assist developing societies to access the research club with a full membership, not with an honorary membership or as an observer," Her Highness concluded. (QNA)