MOHAMED KHOULAIDI

DOHA QATAR Petroleum (QP) and Qatar University (QU) on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the general framework and governing principle of their continuous cooperation in various areas.

The pact was signed by Minister of Energy and Industry and Chairman & Managing Director of QP HE Dr Mohammad bin Saleh al Sada and QU President Prof Sheikha Abdulla al Misned.

The signing ceremony at the QP headquarters was attended by senior officials from both QP and QU.

Sada presented Misned with a gift at the end of the signing ceremony in honour of her continuous and remarkable efforts in promoting cooperation with QP.

“This agreement is another example of how a strong partnership between industry and the academe can contribute greatly in the continued professional development of students, faculty and employees.

We look forward to working with QU in implementing the provisions of this MoU, and we are confident that the benefits gained from this agreement would truly be beneficial to all parties involved,” Sada said.

Under the MoU, QP and QU will develop new initiatives and avenues of cooperation.

In that aspect, QP will support the attendance of QU faculty at international conferences and events hosted by the corporation and also provide summer internship opportunities for QU students.

Besides academically supporting senior QU students in their capstone design projects, QP will also organise regular visits to its industrial cities to expose the students to actual working environments and provide them with a unique learning experience.

In addition, QP will sponsor students to pursue their studies at QU, with particular focus on engineering and science disciplines, in line with the corporation’s business and operational needs. QP will also provide summer attachment opportunities for QU faculty in order for them to work closely with QP in the practical field of their studies.

QU, for its part, will develop professional programs for QP employees. The university will also host speakers from QP to address faculty and students on challenges and new technologies relevant to the energy and industry field.

QU will also provide support to the career advisory centre established by Qatar’s energy and industry sector, and also work with QP in organising career advisory events and career awareness programmes.

This latest MoU is the second to be signed by QP and QU over the past six months.

In November last year, the two parties also signed an MoU to enhance their future cooperation efforts in energy and environmental issues.