Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF)

The Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) is a governmental funding body that supports original, competitively selected research by both local and international researchers for projects that fit with Qatar's national research strategy, and that incorporate a Qatar-based partner. QNRF was established in 2006 to advance knowledge and education by acting as a support system for researchers. It is a center within the Research & Development establishment at Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development.

Over the first six years, QNRF has funded over 700 projects under its flagship funding program National Research Priorities Program (NPRP) amounting to more than US$600 million in grants.

Funding programs

QNRF provides research funding opportunities in the academic, public and private sectors through various funding programs targeting specific research groups. The programs cover basic disciplines emphasized through Qatar National Research Strategy (QNRS): energy and environment, computer science and information and communications technology, health and social sciences, and the arts and humanities.

• National Priorities Research Program (NPRP)
• NPRP - Exceptional Proposals (NPRP-EP)
• Undergraduate Research Experience Program (UREP)
• Graduate Student Research Award (GSRA)
• Postdoctoral Research Award (PDRA)
• Conference and Workshops Sponsorship Program (CWSP)

History

Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) was established in 2006 with an aim of fostering research culture in Qatar and launched two grant programs, the Undergraduate Research Experience Program (UREP) and the National Priorities Research Program (NPRP) which were hugely successful. QNRF had awarded $345 million through these programs, with the total number of recipients hailing from more than 60 countries. In 2010, QNRF launched Young Scientists Research Experience Program (YSREP) to provide support to Qatari and expatriate scientists starting a research endeavor independently or within a research team. It was later renamed as Junior Scientists Research Experience Program (JSREP). In 2011, QNRF partnered with Qatar Supreme Council of Education (SEC) and launched Secondary School Research Experience Program that allowed students from Qatar's independent and private secondary schools to carry out research based on the curriculum standards set by the SEC and under the supervision of school teachers. In the later years, QNRF introduced other programs to cover all levels of researchers and research programs.