Qatar Foundation
Formation1995 (1995)
TypeNon-profit organization
HeadquartersEducation City, Doha, Qatar[1]
Location
  • Doha, Qatar
Key people
Websiteqf.org.qa

Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (Arabic: مؤسسة قطر) is a state-led non-profit organization in Qatar,[2] founded in 1995 by then-emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and his second wife Moza bint Nasser Al-Missned.[3]

According to the Qatar Foundation, its initiatives are oriented towards education, science and research, and community development. It has solicited a number of international universities to establish campuses in Qatar.[4] It has also made commercial investments.[5] The Qatar Foundation's activities have been characterized by critics as influence peddling or lobbying.[6]

Education and research

The Qatar Foundation has established five Qatar Academy branches,[7] the Awsaj Academy for children with learning difficulties,[8] and the Academic Bridge Program, a post-secondary school program.[9] From 2003 to 2013, the Qatar Foundation ran the RAND-Qatar Policy Institute in a partnership with the RAND Corporation.[10]

In higher education, Qatar Foundation established branch campuses of eight international universities and one home-grown university at the main campus just outside Doha:

The US Education department has investigated Georgetown University, Texas A&M, Cornell and Rutgers over their funding from Qatar.[12]

The foundation sponsors the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), which has been held in Doha since 2009.[23]

The majority of the universities on Qatar Foundation's campus run their own research programs, often collaborating with QF's own applied research bodies.[24] QF has partnerships with the Royal Society and the James Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University.[25]

Stars of Science, a reality TV show was launched in 2009 in order to discover "young Arab innovators".[26]

The Qatar Foundation has organized the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) since 2006,[27][28] and the Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP) since 2009.[29] At an investment of more than $800 million by Qatar Foundation,[30] QSTP became Qatar's first free-trade zone.[31] QF launched the Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI) in 2010,[32] the Qatar Green Building Council in 2009,[33] the Qatar Environmental & Energy Research Institute (QEERI),[34] the Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI)[35] and the Sidra Medical and Research Center (endowed with $7.9 billion).[36][37] The Qatar Diabetes Association, founded in 1995, became a member of Qatar Foundation in 1999.[38]

Culture and arts

An Arabic calligraphy exhibition hosted by Qatar Foundation in September 2014

Al Shaqab,[39] and the Al Jazeera Children's Channel (JCC)[40] are members of the Qatar Foundation. On November 19, 2012, Moza bint Nasser, chairperson of Qatar Foundation, announced plans for a new national library, Qatar National Library, in Education City.[41][42] The library hosts the Arab and Islamic Heritage section which contains a historic collection of books, periodicals, manuscripts, maps, and scientific instruments dating back to the 15th century.[43] One of the largest online collections of historic records on the Persian Gulf countries was digitized in October 2014 and made available on the website of the Qatar Digital Library (QDL).[44] The website was the culmination of a partnership established between Qatar Foundation, Qatar National Library, and the British Library in 2012.[45]

The Qatar Foundation has opened the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra in 2007,[46][47] and the Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in 2010. The museum holds one of the largest collections of sculptures and paintings by Arab artists in the world,[48] and has published an online encyclopedia of Arab artists.[49]

Msheireb Properties (a subsidiary of Qatar Foundation) initiated a $5.5 billion commercial development project in Doha in January 2010.[50] Originally called "Heart of Doha", the project was renamed "Msheireb Downtown Doha" in reference to the historical name of the area.[51] The foundation established the Social Development Center in 1996,[52] Reach Out To Asia (ROTA) in 2005,[53][54] The Doha International Family Institute (DIFI) in 2006,[55] the QatarDebate Center in 2007[56][57] and the Qatar National Convention Centre in 2011.[58][59]

Joint ventures

Joint ventures in the fields of science and research, education and social development are deemed essential to Qatar's transition from an oil-based economy to a knowledge-based economy, as outlined in the Qatar National Vision 2030.[60] Thus, the foundation has set up a number of commercial joint ventures with global partners. Profits generated are shared by both parties, with Qatar Foundation's portion being distributed into its core nonprofit activities.[61]

Vodafone entered in a partnership with QF to launch Vodafone Qatar in 2009.[62] It was granted a fixed telecommunications in September 2008, thereby becoming the second mobile network operator to be licensed in the country.[63]

QF launched MEEZA in 2008,[64] and Qatar Solar Technologies (QSTec) in 2010.[65] In 2008, it launched the Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing (BQFP), which published books in Arabic and English.[66][67] It became defunct in 2015 and all of its publications (which included more than 200 books) were incorporated in the newly established HBKU Press, a member of QF.[68] Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Journals (BQFJ), founded in 2010, was also incorporated in HBKU Press.[68][69] The website maintained more than fifteen specialized and multidisciplinary journals in 2014.[70]

In December 2011, QSTec announced that it would be constructing a polysilicon production plant in Ras Laffan Industrial City.[71] In August 2017, SolarWorld founder Frank Asbeck and QSTec bought out SolarWorld in a joint venture deal and rebranded it as SolarWorld Industries.[72]

Sponsorship

On 10 December 2010, FC Barcelona announced it had agreed a shirt sponsorship deal worth up to €170 million with Qatar Sports Investments to place Qatar Foundation's name on the front of the team's shirts, ending Barcelona's tradition of not accepting payment for sponsors displayed on its jersey. The deal included a clause allowing a switch in sponsor after the first two seasons, so Qatar Airways took over as the main sponsor in July 2013.[73][74]

In October 2011, the Wikimedia Foundation announced a plan to work with the Qatar Foundation to support the growth of the Arabic Wikipedia.[75] Later, the media reported that the Wikipedia page for the Qatar Foundation was allegedly edited by a public relations associate of the foundation, for which there was "strong, if circumstantial evidence".[76] It was claimed by Qatar Foundation in November 2015 that the partnership had culminated in the creation of over 6,000 articles on the Arabic Wikipedia.[77]

References

  1. ↑ "Qatar Foundation Stadium". Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  2. ↑ Ennis, Crystal A. (2018). "Reading entrepreneurial power in small Gulf states: Qatar and the UAE". International Journal. 73 (4): 573–595. doi:10.1177/0020702018809980. hdl:1887/71834. ISSN 0020-7020. S2CID 150220133. Archived from the original on 2023-02-11. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  3. ↑ "Qatar and its emir: He'll do it his way". The Economist. 27 May 2010. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  4. ↑ "About us". Qatar Foundation Research & Development. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  5. ↑ Galani, Una (2012-10-02). "Qatar's sovereign funds: A guide for the perplexed". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2021-07-11. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  6. ↑ "Qatar's State-of-the-Art Foreign Lobbying Campaign". Tablet Magazine. 2020-03-30. Archived from the original on 2021-07-13. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  7. ↑ "Qatar Academy Msheireb Opens Its Doors". Qatar Foundation. 17 September 2014. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  8. ↑ "Qatar Foundation's Awsaj Academy students win prestigious awards for pioneering research". Al Bawaba. 7 July 2015. Archived from the original on 30 June 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  9. ↑ "Academic Bridge Program hosts international college fair". The Peninsula. 15 April 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  10. ↑ Shabina S. Khatri (23 December 2013). "Rand and Qatar Foundation officially part ways after 10 years". Doha News. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  11. ↑ Tom Gresham (14 November 2008). "VCU School of the Arts in Qatar Celebrates 10th Anniversary". VCU News. Archived from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "While Trump praises Qatar, education officials seek scrutiny". AP NEWS. 2021-05-11. Archived from the original on 2021-07-13. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  13. ↑ "Opening of Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar Celebrated". Weill Cornell Medical College. 12 October 2002. Archived from the original on 19 September 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  14. ↑ Reeve Hamilton (25 May 2012). "After 10 Years in Qatar, A&M Looking Forward to 10 More". The Texas Tribune. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  15. ↑ "History". Carnegie Mellon University Qatar. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  16. ↑ Ian Philbrick (29 January 2015). "DC to Qatar: A Georgetown presence in Doha". The Georgetown Voice. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  17. ↑ "Trump administration reviewing foreign funding at U.S. colleges". PBS NewsHour. 2019-06-13. Archived from the original on 2021-07-13. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  18. ↑ "Northwestern University in Qatar Hosts Students at Reception". Northwestern University. 15 April 2008. Archived from the original on 4 July 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  19. ↑ "Hamad Bin Khalifa University Opens its Doors to Students from ..." www.hbku.edu.qa. Archived from the original on 2019-04-14. Retrieved 2019-04-14.
  20. ↑ "1st anniversary of the HEC Executive MBA in Qatar". HEC Paris. 30 January 2012. Archived from the original on 5 June 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  21. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2024-01-04. Retrieved 2023-10-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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  23. ↑ "The WISE Summit". WISE Qatar. Archived from the original on 13 December 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  24. ↑ Badry, Fatima; Willoughby, John (2015). Higher Education Revolutions in the Gulf: Globalization and Institutional Viability. Routledge. p. 66. ISBN 978-0415505659. Archived from the original on 2024-01-07. Retrieved 2015-11-30.
  25. ↑ "HBKU partners with Baker Institute for week-long student exchange program". qatarisbooming.com. 12 March 2014. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  26. ↑ "Syrian innovator wins Stars of Science finale". The Peninsula. 21 November 2015. Archived from the original on 18 September 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  27. ↑ Gary Cecchine; et al. (2012). Sustaining the Qatar National Research Fund (PDF). RAND Institute. p. iii. ISBN 978-0-8330-5821-8. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
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  29. ↑ "Qatar Science and Technology Park". Qatar e-Government. Archived from the original on 7 January 2024. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
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  31. ↑ Lesley Walker (14 July 2015). "Qatari-Spanish JV win QR1.6bn contract to build new economic zone". Doha News. Archived from the original on 7 December 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  32. ↑ "Karem Sakallah Continues Commitment to Qatar Computing Research Institute". Computer Science and Engineering School, University of Michigan. 3 February 2014. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  33. ↑ Erika Widen (24 August 2015). "Meshal Al Shamari Believes In A Greener Future: Building Sustainably Is A Qatari Priority". Entrepreneur. Archived from the original on 26 October 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
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  38. ↑ Isabel Ovalle (14 October 2012). "Not a sweet life: Diabetes catches them young". The Peninsula. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  39. ↑ "History of Al Shaqab". Al Shaqab. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  40. ↑ "Official: JCC to leave Qatar Foundation for Al Jazeera". Doha News. 15 June 2013. Archived from the original on 4 December 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
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  48. ↑ "In Qatar, Arab modern art gets its first museum". Al Arabiya. 17 February 2011. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
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