The Qatar Research, Development, and Innovation (QRDI) Council formally unveiled the Qatar Spain Innovation Program (QASIP), an esteemed joint venture between Qatar and Spain for research, development, and innovation (RDI) initiatives, in collaboration with the Spanish Centre for the Development of Technology and Innovation (CDTI).
QASIP is a distinguished joint funding program supporting formidable collaborative research and development projects adhering to the highest international standards.
The program invites proposals for joint research and development projects across all fields, prioritizing energy, health, resource sustainability, and digital technology. QASIP's primary goal is to bolster innovation led by Qatari companies and attract relevant talent, as well as to foster collaborative projects involving entities from both Qatar and Spain.
The program seeks to exchange knowledge and scientific and technological expertise, fortify institutional capacities for the national innovation system, expand the RDI community and technology-based startups, and strengthen innovation partnerships between relevant parties in Qatar and Spain.
During this notable occasion, Secretary General of the QRDI Council Eng. Omar Ali Al Ansari, emphasized that Qatar-Spain Innovation Program is the result of MoU signed by the Council in May 2022 with the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the CDTI.
He added that the program is the first fruit of this cooperation in order to link Qatari and Spanish companies to develop advanced innovative solutions that bring together the brightest minds and innovation talents from both countries.
He pointed out that cooperation between the two sides is also part of the international cooperation agenda of the Qatar Research, Development and Innovation Council, in order to support the development of local innovative capabilities, as these capabilities will be extremely important in pursuit of the ambition of Qatar National Vision 2030, which calls for the creation of knowledge-based, research, development and innovation-intensive industries, which are industries that benefit from talent that is able to design, develop and deploy the solutions of the future.
For his part, HE Spanish Ambassador to the State of Qatar Javier Carbajosa Sanchez, delivered a speech in which he stressed the importance of the strategic relations between his country and Qatar and the positive cooperation existing between the two countries in many fields.
He said that recent years have witnessed a great development in cooperation between Spain and Qatar, thanks to the common will to strengthen relations and expand their fields.
He pointed out that innovation and its support is very important for developing capabilities in both countries, which serves common strategies and achieves a quantum leap in bilateral cooperation,where supporting talents, research and innovations would also enhance the mutual exchange of experiences and expertise.
The funding program results from a fruitful collaboration between the QRDI Council and CDTI, following a Memorandum of Understanding signed between Qatar and Spain in 2022 to promote joint endeavors in research and innovation.
The program seeks to exchange scientific and technological knowledge and experience, strengthen the institutional capabilities of the national system for innovation, expand the community of research, development, innovation and technology-based startups, and strengthen innovation partnerships between the concerned parties in Qatar and Spain.
Entities interested in submitting their proposals may complete their applications on the QRDI Portal from May 26th to September 7th, 2023. Initial feedback will be provided by September 21st, 2023, with final awards announced in February 2024. Awarded projects will receive joint funding from QRDI Council in Qatar and CDTI in Spain, with each project garnering up to QAR 1,500,000 annually for up to three years and utilized exclusively within Qatar.
Source: Qatar News Agency