HEC Paris School of Management is widening its contribution towards the realization of a knowledge-based economy in Qatar beyond providing executive education programmes in the region by launching a Research Office in Qatar.
The Research Office, created with support from Qatar Foundation, will be sourcing potential funding from the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF), Qatar Foundation Research & Development (QF R&D) as well as local and regional companies.
Among the activities that the Research Office will be focusing on are the development of pedagogical content such as the writing business case studies on local companies, innovative academic research leading to publications in prestigious journals, the facilitation of post doctorate and PhD student grants and fellowships, collaboration with academic and business communities in Qatar, and the organization of ‘Focus on Research’ events, workshops and conferences.
“The creation of the Research Office in Qatar by HEC Paris is another significant milestone to develop local and regional content in terms of best practices, knowledge, and expertise to help business and government leaders to meet the demands and challenges of today’s highly globalized economies,” said Professor Laoucine Kerbache, Chief Executive Officer and Academic Dean of HEC Paris in Qatar. “In order to provide best and next best conceptual and practical frameworks in management to the academic and the business communities, HEC faculty in Paris (GREGHEC research center) and in Qatar (new Research Office) are committed to develop highly competitive research in collaboration with other international research teams,” he added.
One of the ambitious research projects recently funded by QNRF includes that of Andrea Masini – an Associate Professor at the Operations Management & Information Technology of HEC Paris.
Professor Masini’s first research project, which is a collaboration between HEC Paris and FIKRA Research and Policy – a Doha based consultancy firm - studies incentive mechanisms to support the diffusion of sustainable energy solutions such as renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency initiatives. The project combines empirical and modelling work to examine the supply and demand side of the renewable energy industry.
The second research project, which is being undertaken by HEC Paris, the Swiss research lab Ordecsys and FIKRA Research and Policy, focuses on smart grids and their potential application to the Qatar reality to reduce the country’s carbon footprint. The goal of the project is to apply optimization models to determine the optimal country energy mix while at the same time taking into account local specificities and consumer behaviour.
“Such projects are undoubtedly a testament of HEC Paris’ ability to conduct cutting-edge research with important strategic and managerial implications for Qatar’s economy,” Masini said.
The Peninsula
