International Call Open To Qatar-Based Research Institutions

Doha, 15 April 2015

Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF), a member of Qatar Foundation Research and Development (QF R&D), has joined the Belmont Forum, a group of high-level representatives from major funding agencies across the globe, to coordinate support for collaborative research in tackling climate change.

The Belmont Forum coordinates investments for high-priority research activities between funding agencies for research development opportunities on global environmental change. It does this as the Council of Principals for the International Group of Funding Agencies for Global Change Research. There is now an open call internationally for research entities to submit proposals for funding.

By continuing to invest in cutting-edge research, QNRF aims to enhance Qatar's research culture in support of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development's (QF) mission to build the nation's innovation and technology capacity. In joining the Belmont Forum, QNRF continues to help promote and develop Qatar  as a hub of research excellence.

"QNRF is extremely proud to be part of the Belmont Forum which sees Qatar join 11 other nations to address the global challenge of climate change, a topic particularly relevant to Qatar and the Gulf region, as environmental sustainability remains high on the Qatar National Research Strategy (QNRS) agenda, of which QNRF is the key enabler," said Dr Abdul Sattar Al-Taie, Executive Director of QNRF.

"As QNRF continues to encourage international scientific research collaboration and knowledge-sharing across various fields, joining the Belmont Forum will no doubt open up further opportunities for collaboration between Qatar-based and global research institutions for mutual benefit to achieve sustainable long-term solutions through knowledge sharing and technology transfer."

Qatar joins Austria, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom in a call for research proposals, which aim to contribute to the overall challenge of developing climate services, focused on the role of inter-regional links on climate variability and predictability.

This grant is of particular interest to Qatar and the Gulf region because it seeks to develop services to predict extreme climatic events, such as dust storms, and calculate their potential impact on the urban and natural environment. Additionally, the impact of global warming on the climate, which continues to result in coastal vulnerability and water insecurity, for example, is one of the major issues identified by the QNRS.

This call requires research to be supported by at least three participating partner agencies, and address one or more of the following topics - 'Understanding past and current variability and trends of regional extremes', 'Predictability and prediction skills for near‐future variability and trends of regional extremes', and 'Co‐construction of near term forecast products with users'.

The call for pre-proposals is now open and the submission deadline is Monday 1st June 2015. Shortlisted teams will be invited to submit a full proposal in September 2015. To submit a pre-proposal, please log on to: https://bfgo.org/

For more information about QNRF's collaboration with the Belmont Forum, as well as other QNRF programmes, visit: www.qnrf.org

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About Qatar Foundation Research and Development (QF R&D)
Leading Qatar's vision to become an international centre for research and development excellence and innovation, QF R&D is home to Qatar Science & Technology Park, a world-class hub for technology innovation and commercialisation, as well as Qatar National Research Fund, a globally renowned scientific research funding organisation.

About Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF)
Driven by the aim of fostering a culture of research in Qatar, QNRF was established in 2006 to advance knowledge and education by acting as a support system for researchers. It is a member within the Research & Development establishment at Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development.

QNRF administers funding for original, competitively selected research and furthers collaborations within academia, the public, governmental and non-governmental sectors through effective, mutually beneficial partnerships. While QNRF actively seeks internationally recognised researchers, it is dedicated to funding research that meets the needs of Qatar. For more information, visit: www.qnrf.org

For more information on this press release, please contact:
Qatar Foundation Press Office
Tel: +974 4454 5849
Email: pressoffice@qf.org.qa 

© Press Release 2015