Sustaining the Qatar National Research Fund

Gary Cecchine ; Richard E. Darilek ; Margaret C. Harrell ; Michael G. Mattock ; Shelly Culbertson ; David S. Ortiz ; Nicholas C. Maynard ; S. R. Bohandy ; Edward Balkovich ; Bruce R. Nardulli

RAND Corporation

RAND Corporation

关键词: International Education;    Science and Technology;    Economists;    Qatar;    Educational Facilities;    West Asia;    International Organizations;    Persian Gulf Region;   

ISBN  :  9780833058218
RP-ID  :  TR-1125-QF

学科分类：自然科学（综合）

美国|英语

来源: RAND Corporation Published Research

【 摘 要 】

Established in 2006 by the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) awards research grants to recipients, from undergraduate to professional, in a wide range of disciplines in Qatar and abroad. In view of recent developments, most notably the passing of Decree-Law No. (24) of 2008, which promises to expand the QNRF's mandate dramatically when it is implemented, RAND was asked to investigate what might be needed to ensure the QNRF's sustainability in the decades to come. This report presents the results of that investigation. A systematic analysis of the issue indicated that the QNRF will need to (1) make measurable progress toward achieving its core mission of fostering a research culture in Qatar and (2) evolve its governance structure and related infrastructure to accommodate its new responsibilities. The report assesses how well the QNRF has done to date in its efforts and presents recommendations for future activities to continue pursuing these parallel objectives. The QNRF has made progress in evolving its infrastructure as originally envisioned, but challenges remain. The former QNRF acting director has been named the permanent director, but a governing board has not yet been established. In addition, the funding model, organizational structure, and staffing levels, which are geared toward investigator-driven research in clearly defined fields, would have to be modified to respond to the projected expansion of the QNRF's roles and responsibilities called for in the new legislation.