Operations & Workflow Management
From Sand Dunes to Skylines: Building Research Administration in Qatar
Qatar wowed the world with the 2022 FIFA World Cup — but did you know they also built a research empire in just two decades? It's like going from 'budget cuts' to 'funding surplus' in record time!
When most people think of Qatar, they picture desert sand, futuristic skylines, or perhaps football stadiums. Fewer know that beneath the cranes and glass towers, a national research ecosystem has been taking shape at breakneck speed. In less than two decades, research management in Qatar has developed what took many countries generations to establish: an ecosystem that continues to evolve daily in ways that are both exhilarating and, at times, chaotic.
Beginnings Without a Map
Research administration in Qatar started without a playbook; imagine trying to assemble IKEA furniture without instructions! There was no national framework, no standard operating procedures, and certainly no “this is how it’s always been done.”
In 2006, on the recommendation and under the patronage of Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser Al Misnad, the wife of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, research institutes and Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) — the country’s sole funding agency — were established. Universities became research laboratories, where policies were drafted on the fly, systems were improvised, and roles were defined while research projects were already in full swing. Despite this compressed timeline, progress has been striking. The system moved quickly from ad hoc, project-by-project support to a coordinated, nationally guided ecosystem. Rather than transplanting existing models wholesale, Qatar adapted international practices to fit its local context, creating a pragmatic, hybrid, and continually evolving style of research management.
The Emerald Handbook (Kerridge, 2004) notes that Qatar’s case is distinctive in the sheer speed of its institutionalization. Within a single generation, research administration has shifted from “experimental and provisional” to a structured profession that align with global standards while responding to uniquely local conditions.
“In just two decades, Qatar has built an ecosystem many countries took generations to develop.”
QRDI: Central Engine, Central Challenge
At the core of this system is the Qatar Research Development and Innovation Council (QRDI) formerly the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF). QRDI has driven competitive funding programs, national research priorities, and the steady professionalization of research offices across institutions. Its development unfolded in key phases:
2006 – 2011: Creating a research culture, designing national policies and procedures, building local capacity building by attracting global talent, and introducing Qatari society to the value of research.
2011 – 2012: The launch of the Qatar National Research Strategy (QNRS)in 2012, which resulted in the funding climate favoring areas that lead to economic, human, social and environmental development.
2018: The establishment of QRDI Council, which not only developed the national R&D Strategy, but also launched the Qatar Research, Development and Innovation Strategy 2030 (QRDI 2030), addressing national priorities in energy, health, resource sustainability, society, and digital technology.
Yet centralized national funding comes with trade-offs. With QRDI as the sole anchor funder, universities are now working to diversify their portfolios through regional sponsors, industry partnerships, and international collaborations. Sustainability in research administration depends on complementing — not replacing — this central engine with a broader circle of support.
This tension — between strong central direction and the need for plural funding — echoes a theme raised in comparative research management literature: systems born from state vision often excel in speed and alignment but must work harder to cultivate diversity and resilience. Qatar exemplifies this balancing act.
“QRDI anchors the system, but sustainability depends on widening the circle of sponsors.”
Life Inside a Research Office
Step inside a university research office in Qatar and you will find a hub that manages nearly everything — from pre- to post-award, contracts to compliance. At Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), a flagship member of Qatar Foundation, my team manages all aspects of pre-award at the Sponsored Research Office: juggling multiple submission deadlines, supporting research development, scouting for new sponsors, helping faculty diversify their grant portfolios, and drafting policies to guide practice — all the while constantly learning to adapt to rapid changes and to integrate AI tools that make life smoother for the research manager (RM) and the institution.
Ever wondered why research managers are like superheroes? They juggle multiple tasks, solve problems, and save the day!
But this “one-stop shop” model has growing pains. Questions often arise over what falls under sponsored research versus finance, HR, communications, or IT. The debate over centralization versus decentralization is ongoing. And with limited indirect costs (IDC) and university budgets (yet an ever-expanding scope of projects and responsibilities) research managers are constantly walking a tightrope.
Daily, the office serves as the “middleman” between faculty, sponsors, the IP office, finance, HR, communications, IT, legal and senior leadership. Ironically, even as total research dollars have dipped in recent years, the number and complexity of projects continue to rise. This means fewer “big checks,” but far more moving parts to manage.
“Even as dollars dip, the number of projects keeps climbing — with all their complexities.”
A Distinctive Research Culture
Qatar’s approach to research management cannot be neatly mapped onto Western models. The system is highly centralized, with government playing a stronger role in setting priorities, funding directions, and shaping the ecosystem. At the same time, institutions have developed practices that reflect their missions — from biomedical research to sustainability to Islamic ethics.
What makes Qatar’s trajectory particularly striking is the speed. In less than a generation, the country has moved from virtually no R&D infrastructure to institutions with world-class labs, competitive grant systems, and a research management workforce who are learning — and often inventing — best practices on the fly.
This is more than catching up; it demonstrates what compressed timelines can achieve when backed by national vision and resources. As Fikria El Kaouakibi, Director of Research at the Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar, observes, Qatar’s trajectory highlights how emerging research systems must manage a dual identity: locally anchored yet globally connected.
All this is unfolding against a broader national transformation. “From camels to Cadillacs”, as the joke goes, Qatar is transitioning from an oil-dependent economy to a knowledge-driven one- guided by the foresight of Her Highness Sheikha Moza. This vision has not only built world class institutions of higher education and made QF a hub of pioneering education and research, but also inspired a new generation — especially women leaders — to innovate, dream big, and lead.
Looking Forward
The challenges ahead are real for RMs in Qatar:
- Broadening funding beyond QRDI without weakening its central role
- Strengthening the capacity and career paths of research managers
- Balancing centralization with the need for flexibility
- Harnessing artificial intelligence to streamline RM functions without losing essential human judgment
But these are challenges of growth, not of absence. What is emerging is not a replica of Western systems but a uniquely Qatari model—fast, ambitious, and deeply tied to national goals.
Research offices in Qatar may sometimes feel as if they are “reinventing the wheel,” but increasingly, it is a wheel designed to fit local terrain—one capable of rolling confidently across both desert sand and global skylines.
References
Kerridge, S., Poli, S., & Yang-Yoshihara, M. (Eds.). (2024). The Emerald Handbook of Research Management and Administration Around the World. EmeraldPublishing. https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/86164