Qatar Research, Development, and Innovation (QRDI) Council and Qatar Financial Center (QFC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to incentivize and empower QFC-based local and international companies to conduct innovation as well as research and development (R&D) activities in the region.
The MoU was signed by Mr. Omar Ali Al-Ansari, secretary-general of the QRDI Council, and Mr. Yousuf Mohamed Al-Jaida, CEO of QFC, during the inaugural event ‘QFC Meets’, at the St. Regis Hotel.
Mr. Al-Ansari stressed that the synergies between QFC, an entity that is striving to attract and host innovative businesses, and the QRDI Council, seeks to support the integration of such companies into Qatar’s innovation ecosystem.
QRDI Council has a number of links through which businesses can benefit. The council, for example, can connect local and international firms in QFC with government agencies and large local enterprises, allowing the former to gain insight into some of the challenges that are unique to Qatar and then work towards developing innovative and breakthrough solutions for these entities.
Omar Ali Al Ansari Secretary-General QRDI Council
“We are also glad to support newly registered businesses conducting R&D activities in Qatar, enabling them to draw on the wealth of knowledge held at our research and academic institutions. Having invested strongly in these assets over the year, Qatar has much to offer when it comes to leveraging world-class infrastructure.”
The council recently launched a QRDI Portal, which enables collaborative opportunities between innovators, researchers, public and private companies as well as hospitals, labs, universities, and other institutions.
Mr. Al-Jaida said that “We are pleased to partner with QRDI Council and see strong synergistic opportunities under this agreement. As we celebrate the newly registered firms, we are certain that we can lend even more support through our work with QRDI Council and see that these new businesses become successfully integrated into the innovation ecosystem in Qatar and support the creation of an enhanced knowledge-based economy.”
