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QNA
Doha
Executive Vice-President of Qatar Foundation Research & Development (QF R&D) Dr Hamad al Ibrahim said that QF is not affected academically or at the level of operations and programmes by the blockade imposed by some GCC countries on Qatar.
"The real loss resulting from the crisis is for the efforts to promote education in the region. The blockade will deprive students of QF's scholarship programmes, especially as it includes a number of large international universities that offer the best academic, scientific and research programmes," Dr Ibrahim said at a press conference in the Education City on Wednesday.
"QF will not lose anything on the financial level as it offers scholarship programmes for GCC students and guarantees their stay and their expenses. Science and research re-establish what politics destroys, and that's why science and research should be independent," he said.
No matter how much the siege on Qatar intensifies, QF will not stop supporting science and research in the region, he stressed.
The QF recently launched the 10th National Research Session which brings together students from the countries laying siege of Qatar.However, QF has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the winning research, so that it can contribute to the advancement of the region and humanity in general, Dr Ibrahim said.
Regarding the facilities offered by QF to students from GCC countries during the crisis, Dr Ibrahim affirmed the foundation's commitment to all its duties, noting that these students, thanks to the summer vacation, can adjust their situation before September.
On the impact of the blockade on the progress of the infrastructure work of QF, Dr Ibrahim said the work has been going on for more than 20 years and almost 90 percent of it has been completed. It will not be affected by the siege, he said, adding that all schools, universities and research centres along with Hamad Bin Khalifa University have been completed inside the Education City.
Dr Ibrahim stressed that there is no shortage of raw materials. Since Qatar has many alternatives, termination of any services or contract will not affect the foundation.
On the GCC employees in QF, he said they are very few, and so their interruption from work is not a problem for the foundation."There are 12 Saudi and 11 Bahraini employees in QF who have been asked to communicate with their embassies immediately after the crisis began. QF has not taken any action against them to terminate their services or stop their employment," Dr Ibrahim said.
As for university professors, Dr Ibrahim said QF has no role in their appointment as universities are responsible for providing faculty and administrative staff.
