Executive Director of Qatar National Research Fund Programs at the Qatar Research Development and Innovation Council Dr. Hisham Saber expressed appreciation for the existing partnership with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and the aim to further develop and strengthen it, based on the belief that the status of nations is measured by their scientific and intellectual capabilities.
Dr. Saber said in his speech during the closing ceremony that science and knowledge are the pillars of progress and the foundation on which the well-being of people is built, and their prosperity is guaranteed. Scientific research is one of the important factors in economic advancement and the progress and development of countries in this current era because of its discoveries, scientific knowledge, innovations, technologies and modern applications, all of which lead to achieving economic diversification in these countries and building knowledgeable societies.
He expressed his confidence that instilling the values of scientific research and enhancing the spirit of innovation among students will lead to a knowledge-based economy. In this type of national competition and event, which represents one of the success factors in building a scientific environment, students test their competitive spirit, innovation and creative thinking to provide solutions to today's challenges.
Dr. Saber added that the national competition for scientific research and innovation is based on the standards of the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in the United States of America. It has become a national platform to encourage children of public and private school students in the State of Qatar and develop their abilities in research and innovation, by working with their teachers and supervisors to conduct research and innovative projects that qualify them to compete and participate in the ISEF, which will be held in May 2024 in Los Angeles. Following the instructions of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, the number of research projects allowed to participate has been raised to nine.
As part of the aim to discover and support students with their innovative research projects, the Ministry's research team will select seven of the best winning projects in the national competition this year to represent the State of Qatar in the International Exhibition of Innovation, Invention and Technology "ITEX" in Malaysia, which will be held in Kuala Lumpur in May.
Among the objectives of the National Science Research and Innovation Exhibition are to enhance, develop and celebrate students' scientific research skills, spread the spirit of cooperation and competition among them, achieve excellence in scientific research, and highlight their projects that deal with current problems and provide the necessary support for them.
It also aims to cooperate and coordinate with partners in state institutions concerned with student research, and to provide the opportunity for distinguished research projects to participate in regional and international competitions. This years edition included the Action Research Competition for educators, the Design for Change competition for the primary level and the National Competition for Scientific Research and Innovation for the preparatory and secondary levels.
Source: Qatar News Agency