Corporate research goes under the spotlight on 28 May as the second annual QSTP TECHtalks Conference gets underway.

The opening talk will be by Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Computer and an icon of technology innovation. Steve will talk about his experience creating and commercialising some of the world’s most recognisable technology. He will then join on a discussion panel with local entrepreneurs and companies on corporate “intrapreneurship” in Qatar.

The session before lunch focuses on partnership strategies for corporate research – how companies are increasingly working with universities and start-ups to acquire their next-generation technologies. Case studies from both Qatar and around the world will be examined.

Finally Harvard Business School’s Dr. Alan MacCormack will discuss his recent research into how some companies are creating competitive advantages for themselves by forming international innovation alliances.

QSTP TECHtalks – The 2008 Conference is aimed at Qatar’s technology community across business, government and academia. The event is free, but seating is limited.

To request an invitation or find our more about the event, please visit www.qstp.org.qa

Would you like to work at QSTP? As the science park nears its opening this summer, it has launched a recruitment campaign to attract local scientists and engineers.

“Our ambitions are large, and so are our requirements for highly qualified graduates” says Dr. Tidu Maini, executive chairman of QSTP. “When you consider that fourteen companies are about to open research and training centres at the science park, and we are embarking on our own major technology projects, it is clear that a lot of exciting opportunities are coming up.”

EADS, ExxonMobil, GE, Microsoft, Shell and Total and other members of QSTP are opening their centres between March 2008 and early 2009. They span a variety of industries such as oil & gas, IT, biomedicine, water and the environment.

“If one imagines Qatar’s economy ten or twenty years from now, it’s fair to say that some of its most important jobs are being created today at QSTP. I warmly welcome Qatar’s bright young scientists and engineers to join us” says Maini.

QSTP's recruitment campaign aims to attract scientists and engineers

QSTP’s recruitment campaign highlights the opportunities at the science park, invites candidates to submit their CVs, and coordinates CVs between itself and its member companies.

The campaign runs from April to June 2008. Applications are invited from Qatari and non-Qatari nationals, holding university degrees.

For more information please visit www.qstp.org.qa

The flagship program of the Qatar National Research Fund is off to a blazing start.

Abdul Sattar Al-Taie had not known he was in for a pleasant problem. When the director of Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) launched the flagship program of his institution in the middle of last summer he expected a lukewarm response. But to Dr. Al-Taie’s and his team’s surprise, the National Priorities Research Program (NPRP) was received enthusiastically. We thought we missed the right time, Dr. Al-Taie says, noting that academia often goes into a lull during the summer months.

But as soon as the letters of intent started trickling in last July, Dr. Al-Taie realized he needed to make adjustments, adding more staff and spending more late nights at the office than he foresaw. Five months later, the QNRF director was cheerfully announcing the funding decisions for the inaugural cycle of the NPRP.

For a program that is just getting off the ground, the figures are promising: 360 letters of intent; 206 proposals; 175 admitted proposals after pre-screening; 47 winning proposals with funds ranging from $74,000 to $750,000; a total of $25 million awarded to the first round of research projects and spread over the first three years; and $10 millions are allotted for the first year alone.

“We requested letters of intent to gauge the interest in our program;” says Dr. Al-Taie, “and we were absolutely surprised to receive them in such a large number.” At this point, the QNRF had to decide whether this was real enthusiasm or sheer curiosity. Determining this was important because it would affect the number of peer reviewers to be recruited. Preparing for the best scenario, the QNRF started large-scale effort inviting peer reviewers to participate in the NPRP—a campaign in which, according to Dr. Al-Taie, thousands of academics from around the world were contacted.
Fortunately, the momentum for the NPRP did not fizzle out. About two thirds of the letters of intent produced “solid proposals,” nearly a quarter of which eventually won funding.

A good start despite the summer was not the only reason Dr. Al-Taie was pleasantly surprised, though. He says he was glad that researchers saw the rationale behind the conditions the QNRF imposed for its grants. These require

The QNRF aims to grant $10 million to research projects in its first year

that 50% of the research work be carried out in Qatar, 65% of the research grant be spent in Qatar, and that at least one researcher in the research team be based in Qatar.

The QNRF terms gave rise to projects that make the National Priorities program true to its name. Spanning areas as diverse as natural gas and oil in Qatar, groundwater levels, postpartum depression in Qatar and Turkey, and employing computer games in educating visually impaired students, the NPRP is an embodiment of Qatar’s push to support science and put it to the service of its people.

Realizing that the talent pool of researchers in Qatar is limited, the NPRP planners have opened up participation to all interested researchers from educational, government and corporate institutions the world over. As a result, principal investigators from more than 30 institutions spread across four continents have received funding.
As the wheels of research start rolling in Qatar, Dr. Al-Taie, now preparing for the next round of the NPRP in the second half of 2008, does not rein his enthusiasm. “We have all the elements of success in place.”

For further information, please contact Dr. Al-Taie at aaltaie@qf.org.qa

Higgins and Gretton will use QSTP's grant to develop web tools for mobiles

QSTP's Proof of Concept Fund has awarded its first grant, to Fuego Digital Media. Fuego will use the funds to study how best to commercialise its innovative web-services platform, which could revolutionise website construction in Qatar and the Middle East.

"The project is about developing a better way for non-tech users to create high-end, e-commerce websites," says Kevin Higgins, Fuego's Senior Vice President of Strategy.

The new platform is specifically tailored for building and running "Web 2.0" pages, where the site's users are instrumental in generating and sharing its content.

QSTP's Proof of Concept Fund provides grants of $100,000 to $500,000 for researchers in Qatar to demonstrate the technical and commercial viability of their

Institut Soudure and Qatar University will work on new laser-based inspection

Qatar University and Institut de Soudure, a QSTP member, are joining forces to develop a new non-destructive testing (NDT) technology based on lasers.

The “Innovative Non-Contact Industrial Inspection System” project recently won a coveted Qatar National Research Fund from Qatar Foundation, thanks to its innovative concept and potential value to Qatar’s oil and gas industries. The system uses lasers to check the structural integrity of petrochemical plants.

“Technically speaking, everything built with metals such as nuclear plants, ships, petrochemical plants, and oil or gas refineries, needs to be checked regularly for flaws and corrosion to ensure the security of the staff, environment and equipment” says Francois Gachet, general manager of Institut de Soudure Industrie.

The main NDT technique used at present is radiographic testing, which uses x-rays to look for corrosion and cracks in structures. A drawback is that the plant being inspected must be shut down, often for long periods of time, which can be very expensive. The laser-based system could be used while the plant is kept running.

The aviation industry does use combined laser-ultrasound NDT tools to check exterior panels on planes. “However panels are simple geometric shapes compared to the complex workings of a petrochemical plant or oil refinery” said Gachet.

“We propose to develop a novel hand-held inspection tool which uses state-of-the-art technologies such as laser-ultrasound, fiber optics, computer-assisted inspection, 3D numerical simulation, and ultra-thin and flexible acoustic sensors.”

The development project starts April 2008 and will last for three years. The intended outcome is an NDT tool that provides a non-contact, quick, reliable and cost effective “in-service” inspection. Target applications include pipes, tanks, heat exchangers and boilers.

“We are here in Qatar to do R&D for the oil and gas industries. Being under QSTP’s umbrella has allowed us to meet students from Qatar University and develop this exciting project which Qatar Foundation is now supporting” said Gachet.

For more information, please contact Francois Gachet at Institut de Soudure at f.gachet@institutdesoudure.com
f.gachet@institutedesoudre.com

EADS has been busy preparing for the opening of its QSTP research and training centre this summer, while also forming technical alliances with local Qatari partners.
The EADS Competence Centre of Qatar will focus on aviation maintenance training and non-destructive testing (NDT) technologies. “We aim to become an internationally recognised centre for aviation training, NDT, R&D, and technical lab accreditation,” says Mohammed S Al-Kuwari, the centre’s general manager.

The training by EADS, which is Europe’s largest aerospace and defence company and maker of Airbus airplanes, is driven by Qatar Airways’ rapid expansion and need for skilled technicians. It will include the EASA66 international certificate, the practical sections of which students will undertake at Qatar Airways.

EADS’s NDT focus is on finding solutions for corrosion and erosion of key structures in Qatar, such as oil and gas plants.

Both the aviation and NDT courses are targeted at Qatari citizens, but are open to other Qatar and Gulf residents. Courses start this summer.

Meanwhile, EADS-CCQ has successfully started bringing its technology to Qatari partners. In March it signed an agreement with the Qatar General Organisation for Standards and Metrology to upgrade all of its laboratories to the ISO17025 international standard. It also facilitated a separate agreement between QGOSM and French laboratory giant LNE for expert services.

EADS signed an agreement with QGOSM in March to certify Qatar's laboratories

“For QGOSM to get the full support of LNE is a big achievement, and it’s largely thanks to the efforts of EADS-CCQ utilising their relationships in France to bring the best technology and knowledge to Qatar” said Al-Kuwari.

For more information on EADS-CCQ, please contact Mohammed Al-Kuwari at m.alkuwari@eadsqatar.com.qa

March's TECHtalk focused on self-driving cars and their potential for Doha

Guests at QSTP’s March TECHtalk discussed the potential benefits and hazards of self-driving cars in Doha, as Carnegie Mellon’s Dr Chris Urmson profiled his development of autonomous vehicles.

Dr Urmson, Director of Technology at CMU’s Tartan Racing, discussed how the cars of tomorrow could drive themselves and how applying such technologies today would help to reduce traffic accidents and congestion.
Dr Urmson also discussed his aim to bring a robotic grand prix race to Qatar and making the country a world leader in automated vehicle technology.