(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
Doha: The Research Support Department of Qatar University's Research and graduate Studies Sector held a Demo Day recently to showcase the successful collaboration between Qatar University (QU) and Marubeni Corporation. The event featured 12 lead principal investigators from QU who presented the results and key achievements of their grants, which were funded by Marubeni Corporation's inaugural cycle.
The Demo Day highlighted various grants from the health, environment, and engineering fields.
The cooperation between Marubeni Corporation and QU began in 2012 and follows a continuous roadmap until April 2025. In 2018, Marubeni Research Grants strengthened the cooperation between the two parties, which started with four exceptional research projects, followed by the announcement of two research grant programmes, the 'Concept to Prototype' and the 'Qatari-Japanese Research Collaboration Program'.
Currently, 34 applications for the second cycle of the Qatar Japan Research Collaboration Program (QJRC) have been received and are under consideration, which witnesses the high interest of the research community at QU in leveraging collaboration with Japanese universities.
The Demo Day was attended by officials from the Marubeni Corporation office in Doha, including Katsushi Ueda, General Manager of the Marubeni Corporation office in Doha, and Ronald Saldanha, Marubeni Corporation Doha office, among others.
Dr. Abdelali Agouni, Post-Award Manager at the Research Support Department (Grants and Contracts), provided a comprehensive overview of the major achievements and outcomes of the Marubeni Corporation-funded projects. He highlighted the project's success in generating numerous outputs in publications, patents, and prototypes, as well as facilitating student and staff exchange visits and capacity-building opportunities.
One of the most remarkable achievements of the Marubeni Corporation grants is the collaboration between Japanese universities and QU. The grants involved 12 Japanese institutions, including 10 universities and two corporations, enabling Japanese universities to collaborate with QU to develop high-impact research partnerships.
Marubeni Corporation grants also enabled capacity building, with 106 students and junior research staff benefiting from the experience. This includes 30 undergraduates, 26 postgraduates, and 40 research assistants and associates.
Marubeni Corporation grants resulted in the production of 97 published papers of various types and stages and the submission of two provisional patents in the US and two patent applications to the Qatar University Innovation Office. Furthermore, 12 prototypes have been developed, such as the prototype of an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation simulator and a modelling software package for estimating the infection burden of key sexually transmitted infections and COVID-19, with support from the grants.
Among the other main achievements from Marubeni Corporation grants is the funding of the buildup of a new hydroponic vegetable factory at the new Agricultural Research Station of Qatar University. Moreover, the 'Salam' Arabic Language textbook for Japanese speakers was developed as part of the grant program.
At the event, Dr. Saeed Almeer, Director of the Research Support Department at Qatar University (Grants and Contracts), said,“The Marubeni grants have played a fundamental role in strengthening the research cooperation between Qatar University and Marubeni Corporation. The Demo Day provided a platform for showcasing the impact of this cooperation on developing innovative solutions to real-world challenges. We appreciate Marubeni's ongoing support and look forward to further collaboration in the future.”
Ueda also shared his thoughts on the success of the Marubeni Corporation-Qatar University cooperation, stating,“We are pleased to see the results of the Marubeni-funded projects and their impact on research and innovation in Qatar. The projects have strengthened the cooperation between Qatar University and Japanese institutions and corporations, which is essential for the development of a knowledge-based economy.”