oa Qatar National Research Fund Leading the Way to Promote Energy Research in the Gulf Region

The Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) was established in 2006 with the goals to build human capital, and advance knowledge and education by providing support to researchers and to focus on the national needs of Qatar. Although QNRF funds research in all disciplines, one of its major thrusts is support of energy related research.

The historical participation and contributions of the Gulf States in the production of oil and gas is well known and documented. The environmental benefits of renewable energy have necessitated the need for the advancement of technologies in renewable energy sources.

Although the region will continue to pursue the exploration and production of the more reliable and well-established conventional carbon based energy resources, there is a pressing need to accelerate the development of low-carbon energy technologies in order to address the global challenges of energy security, climate change and economic growth.

This presentation, addresses QNRF’s efforts over the last five years in funding an assortment of conventional and unconventional energy related research projects. Such projects have emphasized the need to maintain the exploration and production of new oil and gas reservoirs, increase the longevity of the known reserves as the fields mature, and encourage the further development of green energy technologies and sustainability. Many of these projects have been undertaken in collaboration with several countries.

Although there is a limited participation by the GCC countries, the involvement of the collaborating institutions and personnel from around the globe, and the diversity of the projects across various disciplines demonstrate the success and effectiveness of QNRF in promoting research in all fields of sciences in general and the energy research in particular.