Doha, Qatar: Qatar University (QU) received the Academic AI and Research Excellence Award at the Google Cloud Summit 2026, recognising the University’s work in advancing the adoption of artificial intelligence across research, education and institutional operations.
“This recognition reflects Qatar University’s commitment to translating advances in artificial intelligence into meaningful impact across our academic, research and institutional environment,” said QU President Dr. Omar Al-Ansari.
“Our collaboration with Google Cloud is helping us strengthen the tools available to our people, expand the capabilities of our researchers and build the environment needed to develop knowledge-based solutions to national priorities. This is ultimately about ensuring Qatar University continues to build the knowledge and capabilities that Qatar’s future requires.”
As part of this collaboration, the university is adopting Gemini Enterprise to provide faculty, staff and students with generative AI tools that meet institutional requirements, supporting academic and administrative tasks, research and productivity. In parallel, the Spark AI Innovation Hub provides specialised computing infrastructure and advanced capabilities that enable researchers to develop, test and apply AI models in high-impact research areas.
“Qatar University is setting a definitive regional benchmark by coupling enterprise productivity with specialized research excellence,” said Regional General Manager for Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and Iraq at Google Cloud, Ghassan Kosta. “By leveraging Gemini Enterprise to optimise institutional operations and Spark AI to catalyse advanced scientific inquiry, QU is unlocking measurable business impact across academia and reinforcing Qatar’s position as a global leader in innovation.”
As part of the Summit, Vice President for Research and Innovation at Qatar University, Prof. Aiman Erbad, participated in the panel discussion, ‘Architecting the Future: How Qatar’s Leaders are Scaling Data & AI.’ The session brought together technology and business leaders to discuss how organisations can build the foundations needed to scale AI securely and effectively. Prof. Erbad shared QU’s experience in building the infrastructure, research environment and institutional foundations needed to move AI from experimentation toward practical application at scale. QU also showcased its experience in adopting Gemini Enterprise, with Associate Vice President for Technology and Information Security, Dr. Nayef Al-Yafei delivering a demonstration during the Summit. The demonstration gave attendees a practical look at how the platform is being used and how generative AI capabilities are being integrated into the University’s digital environment.
