CNA-Q hosts international applied research forum
2/16/2010 2:39:30 PM
College of the North Atlantic-Qatar (CNA-Q) played host to leading officials from industry and educational institutions from Qatar and Canada during the first international applied research roundtable discussion held at the Doha campus in early February.
Qatar and Canada: Creating Solutions through Applied Research Partnerships aimed to determine specific areas of common strategic research interest with the aim of investigating potential research collaborations.
Dr. Michael Long, chair of applied research at the campus, noted, “We are tremendously excited about the potential for partnerships as a result of our roundtable. When you operate in one of the world’s fastest growing economies where megaprojects are the order of the day, the opportunities are legion. College of the North Atlantic-Qatar is a firmly entrenched presence in Qatar with an excellent reputation and years of partnership experience with local industry, government and international corporations. The goal of our roundtable is to utilize this valuable experience to create applied research partnerships between Qatar and our Canadian research colleagues.”
Canadian participants from Dalhousie University, Saint Mary’s University, Memorial University, University of New Brunswick, University of Prince Edward Island and the Atlantic Provinces Community College Consortium were joined by College of the North Atlantic’s delegation and colleagues from numerous Qatar organizations including Hamad Medical Corporation, Sidra Medical and Research Centre, ExxonMobil Qatar, Qatar Science and Technology Park, the Qatar Industrial Manufacturing Company and The Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF).
During the two-day event participants signed an Intent to Partner Memorandum of Understanding to establish a general agreement to form applied research project partnerships.
Since 2002, CNA-Q has participated in several research projects funded by Qatar Foundation including the development of new aluminum alloys and advanced recycling technologies, an innovative intelligent CNC machine employing a computer vision system, green home energy management and automation, and the Conoco Phillips funded design of environmental research robots to examine and ultimately protect the Hawskbill turtle nesting habitat at Ras Laffan Industrial City.
In 2009, CNA-Q faculty and students conducted a study of Qatar’s plant resources and the connection between environment and healthy communities. From Acacia to Ziziphus: Arabian Plants to Nourish the Body and Earth expanded from a research project to a book that has been distributed throughout Qatar and in libraries in the UK and Canada.
The CNA-Q 2010 Applied Research Roundtable anticipates building on these partnerships within Qatar and also exploring challenges to conducting research in areas of mutual interest to Qatar and Canada.
Dr. Long further commented that, “Given the research expertise and knowledge we have brought to the table, we are very confident our discussions will be informative and productive and in the very near future result in applied research partnerships that will further deliver on the college’s mission to support initiatives that contribute to the social and economic growth of the State of Qatar.”
In addition to the roundtable discussions, participants also toured CNA-Q’s specialized labs and facilities and met with officials from Qatar Science and Technology Park and Education City.
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For further information please contact:
Diane Martin, Public Information Officer
College of the North Atlantic-Qatar
diane.martin@cna-qatar.edu.qa
tel: 974.495.2035
Or
Tanya Alexander
Public Relations Specialist, Qatar Project
College of the North Atlantic
Tanya.alexander@cna.nl.ca
tel: 709.643.0811