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Established in 2006 by the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) awards research grants to recipients, from undergraduate to professional, in a wide range of disciplines in Qatar and abroad. In view of recent developments, most notably the passing of Decree-Law No. (24) of 2008, which promises to expand the QNRF's mandate dramatically when it is implemented, RAND was asked to investigate what might be needed to ensure the QNRF's sustainability in the decades to come. This report presents the results of that investigation. A systematic analysis of the issue indicated that the QNRF will need to (1) make measurable progress toward achieving its core mission of fostering a research culture in Qatar and (2) evolve its governance structure and related infrastructure to accommodate its new responsibilities. The report assesses how well the QNRF has done to date in its efforts and presents recommendations for future activities to continue pursuing these parallel objectives. The QNRF has made progress in evolving its infrastructure as originally envisioned, but challenges remain. The former QNRF acting director has been named the permanent director, but a governing board has not yet been established. In addition, the funding model, organizational structure, and staffing levels, which are geared toward investigator-driven research in clearly defined fields, would have to be modified to respond to the projected expansion of the QNRF's roles and responsibilities called for in the new legislation.

Research --- Government policy --- Qatar National Research Fund --- Management.

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This report presents an overview of the launch of the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF)--the first research-funding organization of its kind in the Middle East--from August 2006 through January 2008. It describes the design and implementation of QNRF's first programs, the Undergraduate Research Experience Program (UREP) and the National Priorities Research Program (NPRP), including the thinking behind the programs, policies, planning methods, and decisions, and it discuses ways of learning from the first grant cycles and improving upon them, as well as early results from the programs. By 2012, QNRF had awarded about $500 million in research grants and had achieved international recognition, with two fully operational multimillion-dollar programs and the groundwork of a domestic research infrastructure in place. Through its programs, QNRF has also laid the foundation for a domestic research infrastructure in Qatar to support the growing research communities in Qatar University and Doha's Education City, home to six branch campuses of U.S. universities.

Research --- Intellectual property --- Government policy --- Finance. --- Qatar National Research Fund --- Management.