DOHA: Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF), a member of Qatar Foundation, has awarded 37 grants in the 17th cycle of its Undergraduate Research Experience Program (UREP).
They have been selected out of 126 research proposals submitted by student teams from seven universities.
This latest UREP cycle will engage a total of 147 undergraduate students and 74 faculty members. Among the 37 awarded proposals, 26 went to Qatar University, three to Texas A&M University at Qatar, and two each to Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Northwestern University in Qatar and the University of Calgary in Qatar. The two remaining grants were awarded to Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar and Ahmed Bin Mohammed
Military College.
“As an entity tasked with spearheading the Qatar National Research Strategy (QNRS), QNRF proudly plays a significant role in helping students acquire the skills necessary to conduct research at the post graduate and doctoral level,” said Dr Abdul Sattar Al Taie, Executive Director of QNRF.
“With each UREP cycle, we bear witness to the evolution of the type of research underway at the undergraduate level. This progress is significant since it directly impacts Qatar’s journey towards a knowledge-based economy. It continues to become evident that Qatar’s youth are increasingly beginning to understand the importance of how scientific research adds a new dimension to their educational experience, and we look forward to seeing this continued interest from youth across the country,” he added.
First launched in 2006, UREP is QNRF’s longest running programme, with two cycles per year. To date, around 2,450 students have taken part in UREP, with student teams from universities across Qatar conducting research under the mentorship of their professors, in areas of direct relevance to the QNRS.
UREP aims to promote ‘learning by doing’ and ‘hands-on’ mentorship activities as effective methods for undergraduate education.
In addition to a research-based education, participating students gain experience in team-based research collaboration with faculty, post-doctoral fellows, graduate students, and other undergraduates or research staff in Qatar.
The Peninsula
