Scholars and scientists from Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), have been awarded nine grants by the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF), at the Fund’s ninth Annual Forum. HBKU colleges and research institutes received backing for a diverse range of projects, to explore topics within energy, environment, biomedical sciences, entrepreneurship, religion and civics.

The recent announcement from QNRF adds to the list of over seventy-five active research grants managed at HBKU, in addition to hundreds of published papers in reputed journals, and numerous pioneering innovations in science and technology, under the University’s belt.

HBKU President Dr Ahmad Hasnah congratulated the HBKU researchers, and wished them all the success in their projects.

HBKU facilitates an eco-system of innovation through various academic and research programmes enabling our researchers, faculty and students to conduct high-impact research that provides solutions to challenges critical to Qatar and the world. The awards granted by QNRF, demonstrate our commitment towards the national research priorities aimed at building human capital through their cutting-edge breakthroughs and discoveries in science and research.’

HBKU College of Science and Engineering (CSE) received three of the QNRF National Priority Research Programme (NPRP) grants to further their work in reservoir simulation for the energy industry, phononic devices in the biomedical field, and privacy and cybersecurity. The two grants awarded to the scholars from the College of Islamic Studies (CIS) at HBKU focus on a multi-disciplinary approach to analysing the knowledge and communication around genomics, Islamic ethics and public engagement, and studying entrepreneurship education geared towards meeting the Qatar National Vision 2030, respectively.

Two of the University’s national research institutes, Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI) and Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI) were awarded two grants each. With the grants, QEERI will conduct research in energy storage and desalination, and biomedical scientists at QBRI will study autism and molecular profiling, to better diagnose and treat prevalent disorders.

Echoing the strong partnerships HBKU has with various institutions around Qatar, the University’s researchers received six more grants from QNRF, for collaborative research projects with fellow peers from Texas A&M University at Qatar, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, Qatar University, Sidra Medical and Research Center and Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar.

As a university driven and focused in fostering an environment of excellence in research and discovery, Dr Hasnah added that innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit are the foundation of the research efforts at HBKU.

Our commitment to excellence is the driving force behind the ongoing pursuit for discovery, learning and progress, thus paving the way for our knowledge-based future.’

With research being an integral part of academic and scholarly life at HBKU, the University’s faculty, researchers and students are tasked with contributing towards building human capacity in Qatar. Since inception, members of the HBKU community have published scholarly work in top global science publications, and contributed to leading-edge advancements in several innovations and inventions.

To find out more about the research conducted at HBKU, visit hbku.edu.qa.