Tribune News Network
Doha
Qatar Research, Development and Innovation (QRDI) Council, in partnership with the British Embassy in Doha, the Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and the AI Committee of the Qatar Ministry of Communications & Information Technology (MCIT), has announced a call for project proposals under the Gulf Strategy Fund (GSF) 2024-2025, scoping project on Qatar-UK Collaboration on Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Submissions are due by August 12, 2024.
Proposals should aim to identify and scope practical and ambitious ways to enhance Qatar-UK cooperation, supporting both countries’ respective AI and critical technologies strategies.
Engineer Omar Al Ansari, QRDI Council’s secretary-general, said: “This initiative aims to advance bilateral cooperation in AI, leveraging both countries’ combined expertise and initiatives like Qatar’s Digital Vision 2030 and the UK’s significant investments in AI research and development.
“Working on this project in partnership with MOFA and MCIT as well as British Embassy in Doha will be beneficial for strengthening the bilateral relationship between RDI communities in Qatar and the UK and facilitate the exchange of experience and knowledge to achieve our common goals.”
The project is set to run from September 2024 to March 2025, with funds ranging from £50,000 to £80,000, led by the British Embassy in Doha and co-designed with QRDI Council, MOFA and MCIT’s AI Committee.
Focusing on building and scaling AI ecosystems, as well as enhancing the bilateral relationships between Qatar and UK, the project aims to utilise local RDI talent in Qatar, by encouraging the awarded implementers to include Qatari graduates to support their professional development; analyse Qatar-UK collaboration opportunities to launch AI-enabled companies and integrate AI into existing enterprises; promote safe and secure AI development through Qatar-UK diplomatic cooperation; enhance AI utilisation in diplomacy, supporting shared foreign policy challenges; and recommend ways to integrate AI cooperation into existing Qatar-UK diplomatic structures.
The GSF is a UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) fund within the FCDO’s International Programme. Aligned with the UK Government’s strategic priorities in Qatar, it supports Qatar National Vision 2030 while enhancing mutual prosperity, by promoting inward investment as well as creating opportunities for UK companies across various sectors.
Applications are open to non-profit organisations, NGOs or government entities globally that demonstrate technical competency in AI, particularly in relevant sub-domains. Interested applicants can visit this link to know more about the opportunity: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/qatar-call-for-bids-gulf-strategy-fund-2024-2025
QRDI Council is a leading government entity in advanced research, global collaboration in innovation, and attracting global talent to Qatar.
The Council strives to make Qatar a top destination for global talent and a pioneering research, innovation and development hub with its motto ‘locally empowered, globally connected’.
Playing a pivotal role within the Qatar National Development Strategy, the QRDI Council is actively shaping the Innovation component of the Economic Diversification goal. The Council’s commitment underlines its unwavering dedication to the Qatar National Vision 2030. QRDI Council aims to make Qatar a global innovation hub and a top choice for R&D centres worldwide, seeing RDI as vital for Qatar’s growth and prosperity.
