HH Sheikha Moza participates in a roundtable event at the Royal Society

“We are in a desperate need to repeat history, and only through exposure can we recreate a better version of it,” said Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development at the Royal Society.

“We have had a fruitful relationship with the Royal Society over the past three years that has seen the birth of the Atlas Project and several others, but we are looking forward to a more long term relationship that will benefit not only Qataris but the people of the region.” Her Highness spoke at the closing of a roundtable event that gave a Qatari delegation from QF, several other institutions, and young Qatari researchers, the opportunity to both share the Qatari experience and learn from the experience of a number of other countries that are also on the journey to developing a knowledge economy. Experts from around the world discussed science and innovation developments in Qatar and in Brazil, Norway and Singapore in a comparative and fruitful roundtable discussion titled Routes to a knowledge based economy. The roundtable left participants richer with knowledge, insight and ideas for collaboration. “Collaboration is very important for Singapore”.

Dr Lim Chuan Poh, Chairman of A*STAR, Singapore commented, “We need to find common problems so that we can create a win-win solution. There could be a nexus of water, waste, energy and food – we need to consider where there are common goals. There are opportunities for both collaboration but also for mutual benefit. Not just for national solutions but for industrial exploitation.”

Sir Paul Nurse, President of the Royal Society said he was fascinated by Qatar’s drive to create a knowledge economy through learning from other countries who are on similar journeys. “Only by harnessing people’s passion can we create true innovation,” said Sir Paul Nurse, President of the Royal Society. “We have to encourage their personal passion to drive the innovation agenda forward. We have learnt a lot from the participants at today’s meeting in terms of their experiences and it is fascinating to see how Qatar will seek to learn from other countries on a similar journey towards a knowledge economy. I want to particularly thank our speakers and colleagues from Doha who have come from across the world to share their experiences.”