Two research projects have been awarded under the Smart Manufacturing Call by Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) and The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK).
The awarded projects are Additive Manufacturing of Concrete for Sustainable Construction using Locally Developed Materials, submitted by Dr Eyad Mesad of Texas A&M University at Qatar (Tamuq), a QF partner university, and Hacettepe University of Turkey; and 5G Connected and Photovoltaic Powered Next Generation Greenhouse for Food Security, submitted by Dr Robert Balog of Tamuq and NETAS – a telecommunications equipment company in Turkey.
QNRF, also a member of QF, and TUBITAK received 14 applications, of which two were awarded funding after undergoing a stringent competitive joint evaluation process. To enhance public-private partnership in R&D between the two countries, each proposal was submitted jointly by a Qatar-based and a Turkey-based team.
This call is second in the series of calls launched under the QNRF-TUBITAK joint funding programme with the aim to intensify co-operation between Turkish and Qatari researchers from academia and industry. The theme of the first call was cybersecurity.
Stressing the importance of co-operation between Qatar and Turkey, Dr Abdul Sattar al-Taie, executive director of QNRF, said: “This call reflects QNRF’s commitment to build partnerships with international stakeholders to develop our local human capacity in some frontier technology while mutually finding solutions to challenges that are faced in Qatar, the region and around the world.”
Dr al-Taie further commented that the call will enhance public-private partnership in R&D to bridge the gap between academia and the manufacturing industry, which will benefit industries and citizens in both countries. “This joint initiative will bring together expertise, resources and experience to advance the development of implementable smart manufacturing technologies,” he added.
“Science, technology and innovation management activities are still input-oriented and process-oriented,” Prof Hasan Mandal, president of TUBITAK, said.
“However, in order to be capable of problem-solving, management mechanisms must be more output- and impact-oriented, effective collaborations must be established and talents must be used. This can be possible through academy-industry collaborations.”
Professor Mandal noted that TUBITAK and its Qatari counterpart, QNRF, decided to jointly fund two research projects, which reflects the impactful relation between the two organisations at the highest levels. “As both sides are announcing the results of the second joint call, related teams already started the negotiations of the third joint call,” he added.