Qatar Foundation

In primary and secondary education, Qatar Foundation has several initiatives. Examples include establishing five Qatar Academy branches,[5] opening Awsaj Academy, a school for children with learning difficulties,[6] and opening Qatar Leadership Academy in collaboration with the Qatar Armed Forces.[7] Furthermore, the foundation launched the Academic Bridge Program, a post-secondary school program that helps students transition from high school to university.[8]

A major reform of the K–12 education system was embarked upon by Qatar Foundation in 2003, resulting in the formation of the RAND-Qatar Policy Institute and the subsequent publishing of the institute's assessment and recommendations in Education for a New Era: Design and Implementation of K-12 Education Reform in Qatar. As a response to declining standardized test scores, Qatar Foundation terminated its partnership with the RAND Corporation in 2013.[9]

In higher education, Qatar Foundation established branch campuses of eight international universities and one home-grown university at the main campus just outside Doha:

• 1998 – Virginia Commonwealth University, with programs in art and design.[10][11]
• 2002 – Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar opened, offering a two-year pre-medical program and a four-year medical program leading to an MD.[12][11]
• 2003 – Texas A&M University at Qatar opened, offering programs in chemical, electrical, petroleum, and mechanical engineering.[13][11] In 2018, Qatar Foundation lawyers filed a lawsuit to block Texas A&M from releasing records about the foundation's donations.[11]
• 2004 – Carnegie Mellon University Qatar opened, offering programs in computer science, business, biological sciences, computational biology, and information systems.[14][11]
• 2005 – Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar opened, offering programs in international affairs.[15] Nearly all of Georgetown University's foreign money donations stem from the Qatar Foundation.[16]
• 2008 – Northwestern University in Qatar opened, offering programs in journalism and communications.[17][11]
• 2010 – Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) opened offering graduate programs in Islamic studies, humanities and social sciences, science and engineering, law, health and life sciences and public policy and undergraduate qualification in Computer engineering.[18] HBKU is also the home of three national research institutes conducting mission driven research in energy and environment, computing, and biomedical.
• 2011 – HEC Paris in Qatar launched the first EMBA in the country.[19]
• 2011 – 2020 University College London Qatar opened, offering postgraduate qualifications in museum studies, conservation, and archaeology in partnership with Qatar Museums Authority. UCL Qatar has closed its campus in Qatar after completing its contract with the Qatar Foundation in October 2020. [20] [21]

These centers sit alongside the Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies which began its first graduate classes in the 2007–2008 academic year. It offers master's degrees in Islamic finance, contemporary Islamic studies and Islamic public policy.

US Education department investigated Georgetown University, Texas A&M, and Cornell and Rutgers over their funding from Qatar.[11]

Panel participants in the 2012 WISE Summit

As part of the foundation's activities in education, it sponsors the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), which has been held in Doha since 2009.[22] The 3-day WISE Summit is held every 2 years in Doha, Qatar.[23]

WISE awards the WISE Prize for Education is an international prize that rewards an individual or a team for outstanding contributions to education.[24] The inaugural edition was launched in 2011 with a monetary award of $500,000.[25] WISE also provides awards for six projects that address global educational challenges.[26] Winners receive a cash prize of $20,000. The first WISE Awards were handed out in 2009.[27]

An Arabic calligraphy exhibition hosted by Qatar Foundation in September 2014

Al Shaqab, an equine education resource centre, became a member of Qatar Foundation in 2004.[48] The institution is considered a testament to the historic role that horse racing and breeding played in Qatari culture.[49] Facilities include a riding academy, an endurance training complex, and a centre for the breeding and showing of Arabian horses.[50]

Al Jazeera Children's Channel (JCC) was launched in 2005 as a joint venture between Al Jazeera and Qatar Foundation with the aim of "preserving Arab cultural identity". With 90 percent of the channel being owned by Qatar Foundation, it broadcast from the foundation's Doha campus along with Baraem, the Arabic channel aimed at preschoolers. Al Jazeera announced in 2013 that it was in the process of acquiring full ownership of the channel.[51]

In 2006, Qatar National Library (then known as Dar Al Kutub Library) became a member of Qatar Foundation.[52] On November 19, 2012, Moza bint Nasser, chairperson of Qatar Foundation, announced plans for a new national library.[53] Education City was chosen as the location of the new library.[54] A notable attraction within the library is the Arab and Islamic Heritage section which contains a historic collection of books, periodicals, manuscripts, maps, and scientific instruments dating back to the 15th century.[52] One of the largest online collections of historic records on the Persian Gulf countries was digitized in October 2014 and made available on the website of the Qatar Digital Library (QDL).[55] The website was the culmination of a partnership established between Qatar Foundation, Qatar National Library, and the British Library in 2012.[56]

The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra was formed in 2007 at the behest of Qatar Foundation with an initial budget of $14 million.[57][58]

Qatar Foundation opened Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in December 2010 in association with Qatar Museums Authority. The museum holds one of the largest collections of sculptures and paintings by Arab artists in the world,[59] and has published an online encyclopedia of Arab artists.[60]

Msheireb Properties (a subsidiary of Qatar Foundation) initiated a $5.5 billion commercial development project in Doha in January 2010.[61] Originally called "Heart of Doha", the project was renamed "Msheireb Downtown Doha" in reference to the historical name of the area.[62]

The Social Development Center was established in 1996 by Moza bint Nasser to organize community programs for Qatari families.[63] It promotes the building of stable and self-sufficient families by offering workplace training and providing courses in financial management. Another cardinal goal of the center involves promoting Islamic social values.[64]

Qatar Foundation established Reach Out To Asia (ROTA) – a charity initiative focused on assisting community development projects in Asian countries – in 2005. ROTA campaigns for education in developing countries.[65] The organization has carried out activities in countries such as Pakistan, Indonesia, Lebanon, and Gaza.[66]

In 2006, Moza bint Nasser founded The Doha International Family Institute (DIFI). The institute conducts research and promotes scholarship on the legal, sociological and scientific basis of the family as the fundamental unit of society. It has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UNECOSOC).[67]

The QatarDebate Center was established in 2007. In addition to organizing workshops and competitions with the intent of raising the standards of open discussion among Qatari students, the center also hosted the World Schools Debating Championship in 2010.[68] Also launched in 2007 was the Qatar Career Fair (QCF), an annual event held at the Qatar National Convention Centre which showcases the range of career options available to Qatari students and graduates.[69]

The Qatar National Convention Centre was inaugurated by QF in December 2011.[70] It features a 2,300-seat auditorium.[71]