Doha: Swedish Minister for Higher Education and Research Helene Hellmark Knutsson left on Friday after a three-day visit to Qatar. She and delegation discussed cooperation with Qatar in higher education and research.
Knutsson was accompanied by a delegation of 21 high-level representatives from Swedish top universities such as Karolinska Institute, Lund University, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Chalmers University, and presidents of several national agencies for higher education and research.
Minister of Education and Higher Education H E Dr Mohammed Abdul Wahed Ali Al Hammadi hosted a dinner in her honour at Museum of Islamic Art where they exchanged views on how to develop relations in the field of higher education and research.
On Thursday morning, Knutsson and her delegation visited Qatar University and had a meeting with President Dr Hassan Rashid Al Derham. Many topics were discussed but one key message from Knutsson was to encourage Qatari students to study at Swedish universities and that all Master Education courses are in English in Sweden, which is not yet well known among Qatari students.
Joint research cooperation in road safety and traffic medicine and an ‘Interdisciplinary Centre of Material Sciences’ were also discussed.
Lund University announced that an MoU will be signed on April 13-14 with QU, Lund University’s “Centre for Middle Eastern Studies’ and the London School of Economics on a joint research programme in Qatar on ‘Nation and the State in the Middle East’. During a second meeting with Dr Hammadi, an existing draft of an MoU between both governments was discussed. It will be finalised and signed later this year, which could be during Dr Hammadi’s visit to Sweden, as he was invited by Knutsson to visit her country, said Swedish Ambassador Ewa Polano.
A meeting with Qatar Foundation followed and another with QNRF Executive Director Dr Abdul Sattar Al Taie and his programme managers for QNRF’s priority research areas.
Joint research on diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, ICT, environmental technology, tailor-made courses for Qatar on a national innovation system and innovation and entrepreneurship courses will be offered by Lund University in mid- March.
Knutsson and her delegation made a study visit to Education City and met the deputy dean of Texas A&M University; and Director Dr Mehran Kamrawa and Dean Dr Gerd Nonneman at Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.
The delegation also visited HBKU Student Centre where Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) was invited to the inauguration of the ‘The House of Sweden’ exhibition.
A brainstorming discussion dinner was also hosted at Katara with guests such as the WISH CEO Egbert Schillings, who highlighted how the Karolinska Institute and Lund University could participate in the WISH in November and officials from Doha Institute, and Dr Sultan Barakat, Research Director, Brookings. The Peninsula
