Qatar Research, Development, and Innovation (QRDI) Council hosted and led a panel at the Qatar Pavilion during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), which saw over 20,000 attendees and close to 50 entities from Qatar as this year’s guest nation at the event.

Titled “Russia-Qatar Innovation Dialogue,” the panel was moderated by Alexander Kuleshov, Rector of the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology and saw participation by the following speakers: Eng. Omar Ali Al-Ansari, Secretary General, QRDI Council; Mr. Mohamed Badr Hashem Al-Sada, CEO Hassad Food; Mr. Leonid Sorkin, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Vice President, Honeywell JSC; Mr. Mohammed Bin Abdulla Al Thani, CEO, Ooredoo and Mr. Mohammed Al-Abdulla, CEO Doha Venture Capital; Mr. Arkady Dvorkovich, Chairman, “Skolkovo” Foundation; Mr. Anatoly Valetov, CEO of Moscow Innovation Cluster and Mr. Vladislav Shapsha Governor, Government of the Kaluga Region.

The one-hour panel saw lively discussion on the subject of innovation as Russia and Qatar have both placed research, development and innovation (RDI) at the top of their agendas. QRDI Council highlighted the reasons for which RDI has become a focus in Qatar and RDI-related initiatives that are underway. At the same time, QRDI Council also shared its perspective on how RDI will leverage and build upon the country’s existing world class infrastructure and industry successes, to deliver a future growth platform that drives economic prosperity.

Speaking at the panel, Eng. Al-Ansari remarked: “We see RDI as the key ingredient that will unlock future success and prosperity, where the success of nations will be determined by the competitiveness of their talent base globally, and the development and use of advanced technology that can address unique challenges faced by our communities.”

The panelists discussed how important linkages need to be made across different kinds of entities, such as large corporates, SMEs, start-ups, government agencies and knowledge institutions. They also discussed the tools and regulatory initiatives that can help foster a healthy innovation ecosystem and the role that government, investment funds and development funds all play in fostering and attracting RDI-driven businesses to their respective countries.

The discussions relate to QRDI Council’s central area of focus, which is to develop and implement the national strategy for RDI in Qatar. Known as QRDI 2030, the ten-year strategy aims to transform Qatar’s RDI ecosystem, ushering in a new era for Qatar which sees boosted productivity, new job opportunities and solutions to domestic challenges. QRDI 2030 presents seven transformation elements to develop the RDI ecosystem in Qatar and five national priority areas on which to center future RDI activity.

Source: QRDI Press Release

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Nabeela

Content Writer

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