Qatar Foundation
Overview
Established in 1995 by the then Amir Sheikh Hamad and his daughter Moza bint Nasser to realize their ambitious mission for Qatar, the Qatar Foundation (QF) has grown tremendously over the past few years. It serves the people of Qatar by supporting and operating programs in three core mission areas: education, science and research, and community development. The Foundation strives to nurture the future leaders of Qatar. By example and by sharing its experience, the Foundation also contributes to human development nationally, regionally, and internationally. In all of its activities, the Foundation promotes a culture of excellence in Qatar and furthers its role in supporting an innovative and open society that aspires to develop sustainable human capacity, social, and economic prosperity for a knowledge-based economy.
The organization has brought a number of international universities to Qatar to help develop an education sector in which young people can develop the attitudes and skills required for a knowledge economy that is not based on revenues from energy resources. This goal is also tied to Qatar’s Education City which is the country’s flagship branch of the world’s best educational institutions together in one residential square . Its main science and research agenda is to build up Qatari innovation and technology capacity through research that results in technologies that can be successfully commercialized for the benefit of the economy. One of Qatar’s aims is to become a commercially successful research and development (R&D) hub that attracts the best and brightest. The community development programs aim to help foster a progressive society in Qatar, while also enhancing the cultural landscape, protecting Qatar’s heritage, and addressing immediate social needs in the community. The Foundation has played a key role in Qatar’s transformation into a political, economic and cultural powerhouse in the region.
The Foundation is trying to equip Qataris with the skills, education and qualifications to be competitive in the global economy.