Doha: Building on their shared commitment to strengthening national capabilities in advanced electronics, semiconductor technologies, and intelligent systems, Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) and the Qatar Research, Development, and Innovation (QRDI) Council have entered into a strategic partnership.
According to Qatar News Agency, under the collaboration, QRDI will fund the University's newly launched master's program in Integrated Circuits and Intelligent Systems Design. This partnership was formalized through a funding agreement signed on the sidelines of Web Summit Qatar 2026 by President of HBKU Dr. Ahmad Mojahed Omar Hasnah and Secretary General of QRDI Eng. Omar Al Ansari. Under the agreement, QRDI will provide funding of up to USD 1 million.
Commenting on the agreement, President of HBKU Dr. Ahmad Hasnah stated that this funding agreement with QRDI reflects a shared commitment to advancing Qatar's capabilities in semiconductor and intelligent systems technologies. He emphasized the significance of preparing a new generation of highly skilled talents equipped with the expertise and innovation mindset required to lead in critical fields, thereby shaping Qatar's knowledge-based economy and global competitiveness.
For his part, QRDI Secretary General Eng. Omar Al Ansari remarked that the partnership reflects QRDI Council's focus on building deep technical capability in areas where advanced skills are critical to long-term competitiveness. He highlighted the importance of supporting engineers with practical experience in semiconductor design, intelligent hardware, and system-level integration by funding HBKU's master's program. This initiative is crucial for promoting the development of advanced industries and converting research into deployable solutions.
Distinguished Professor and Associate Dean of the College of Science and Engineering at HBKU Dr. Amine Bermak expressed that this master's degree underscores HBKU's commitment to strengthening Qatar's knowledge economy. The strategic collaboration with QRDI and Invest Qatar aims to translate academic excellence into practical capability.
Together, HBKU and QRDI are establishing a sustainable talent pool that converts advanced education into technological leadership. This cooperation strengthens the university's position as a catalyst for national capacity building, facilitating Qatar's shift toward developing homegrown expertise in key technologies that will define the future.
By combining HBKU's academic and research expertise with QRDI's advancement of Qatar's RDI ecosystem, the program will cultivate a highly skilled workforce aligned with national priorities in emerging technologies. Led by renowned faculty and researchers in electronic and computer engineering, the program will provide students with rigorous theoretical grounding alongside applied training in integrated circuits, embedded systems, intelligent hardware architectures, and hardware-to-software co-design. The curriculum emphasizes experiential learning, industry-relevant projects, and research-driven instruction.