VZCZCXRO6679
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHDO #0413/01 1741135
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 231135Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY DOHA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9170
INFO RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 DOHA 000413 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
AMMAN FOR ESTH HUB MANU BHALLA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ESTH PREL QA
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ENGAGEMENT IN 
QATAR 
 
REF: DOHA 205 
 
---------------- 
(SBU) KEY POINTS 
---------------- 
 
-- Qatar is using its current hydrocarbon-fueled wealth to 
invest in educational reform and science and technology 
(S&T).  The Qatar Foundation is the primary vehicle for these 
initiatives. 
 
-- Qatar does not need USG money, but does need help 
developing skills and capacity.  It would be a logical host 
for conferences or summits envisaged under any USG 
initiatives. 
 
-- Specific partnerships determined through political 
engagement are most likely to garner Qatari participation and 
funding. 
 
-- Addressees are encouraged to review reftel from March 2009 
which covers Embassy's assessment of key trends in Qatar - 
including S&T - over the next 36 months and the Embassy's 
associated interagency synchronization planning. 
 
------------- 
(SBU) COMMENT 
------------- 
 
-- Enhanced USG engagement on S&T would be welcomed by Qatar 
and boost two of the strongest parts of our bilateral 
relationship: the commercial and educational pillars.  But 
dedicated additional staff would be needed for any 
strategic-level initiatives. 
 
End Key Points and Comment. 
 
¶1. (SBU) SCOPE NOTE: Qataris have generally responded 
positively to President Obama's overtures to the Arab and 
Muslim world and, like many others in this region, hold deep 
admiration for U.S. education and S&T achievements.  Qatar's 
successful efforts to engage - even import - the U.S. 
educational model and U.S. private sector expertise indicate 
the USG would be pushing on an open door by further pursuing 
such engagement.  Embassy Doha provides the assessment below 
to give Washington readers a flavor of the current S&T scene 
in Qatar as specific outreach and programs are crafted; the 
examples cited below are illustrative, not exhaustive. 
 
Qatar's Progressive Vision for Education 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Qatar ranks high on most development indicators and 
enjoys an enviable economic position due to its massive 
hydrocarbon exports.  However, senior Qatari leadership - 
above all the Amir and his high-profile wife Shaykha Mozah - 
realize that Qatar must develop a diversified, 
knowledge-based economy to assure the country continues to 
thrive over the long-term.  To that end, the GOQ is 
implementing remarkable reforms at all levels of education. 
 
-- Independent Schools. The RAND Corporation, which has 
closely advised the GOQ and has one of its two overseas 
branch offices in Doha, tells us that Qatar is undertaking 
the most ambitious educational reform project it has ever 
seen, anywhere in the world.  Qatar currently has 89 
independent schools similar in function to charter schools in 
the U.S.  These schools are required to comply with the GOQ's 
national curriculum standards, which are currently being 
modified to match international baccalaureate standards.  The 
schools emphasize the importance of parental contributions, 
community involvement and effective Boards of Trustees. 
 
Qatar Foundation: A Catalyst for Change and Advancement 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶3. (U) The Qatar Foundation (QF) is the primary vehicle for 
the GOQ's massive investments in education, science and 
technology, and related social programs.  QF and a 
constellation of affiliated organizations and initiatives are 
run by Shaykha Mozah and other royal family members.  (More 
information is available at: www.qf.edu.qa). 
 
-- Education City.  QF's flagship project is a 2,500-acre 
campus in Doha which hosts branch campuses of 6 U.S. 
universities, each focused on a particular academic 
specialty:  Texas A&M University (engineering), 
 
DOHA 00000413  002 OF 003 
 
 
Carnegie-Mellon University (computer science, business), 
Weill-Cornell Medical College (medicine), Georgetown School 
of Foreign Service (political science and international 
affairs), Virginia Commonwealth University (design), and 
Northwestern University (journalism).  QF intends to import 
more American universities, as well as several high schools 
and a community college.  (Note: In this sense, Qatar is 
unique in the world, because it is not only seeking to 
modernize its educational system on an American model, but is 
actually importing high-quality American institutions to help 
them achieve that goal.) 
 
-- The Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP) is another of 
QF's major entities and was formally opened in March 2009. 
The park has 22 high-profile tenants, including major U.S. 
firms such as ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, GE, and Microsoft. 
QSTP is intended to foster industry-university collaboration 
at Qatar's Education City and is focused on promoting 
research, commercialization, and 
technology/knowledge-transfer to Qatar from these firms in 
four areas: energy, environment, health care, and 
information/communication technology.  (More information is 
available at: www.qstp.org.qa) 
 
-- The Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) provides millions 
in funding to original research in natural sciences, 
engineering and technology, medical and health sciences, 
agricultural services, social sciences and humanities.  USD 
45 million was made available for awards in 2008.  During the 
2007-2008 cycle, 47 collaborative research applications were 
approved involving 33 international institutions. 
 
-- "Stars of Science" is a new QF-supported reality TV show, 
broadcast in 17 Arab countries, which covers an innovation 
competition among Arab youth.  The team with the winning 
invention will be awarded USD 300,000. 
 
-- QF recently opened a Washington office to work on 
implementing educational projects across cultures.  The 
organization receives its funding from QF but is technically 
a separately registered 501 (c)(3) organization with its own 
U.S.-majority board.  The Executive Director of QF-U.S. is a 
former FSO and eager to engage the USG on collaborative 
projects. 
 
Policy Imperatives 
------------------ 
 
¶4. (SBU) As the USG considers launching new S&T initiatives 
and partnerships with the Arab and Muslim world, Embassy Doha 
believes Washington should be aware of the following 
Qatar-specific factors: 
 
-- Qatar does not generally need USG money.  Qatar provides 
full educational funding for all of its citizens.  The GOQ 
has obligated itself to providing 2.8 percent of its GDP to 
research. (Note: This would comprise just under USD 3 billion 
in 2008, though the mechanics of how this money will be spent 
remain unclear to us.) 
 
-- Qatar does need help addressing systemic weaknesses in 
human capacity.  While almost 2 million people live in Qatar, 
a mere 225,000 are Qatari nationals.  There is little 
indigenous scientific capacity (i.e., there are few Qatari 
scientists to engage). 
 
-- Qatar has significant hotel, conference, and exhibition 
capacity and would be a logical leader to host large 
conferences or summits.  The GOQ sees such events as a way to 
boost its prestige and spur local action in the area covered 
by the event.  It generally ends up paying much of the 
administrative cost.  In the past year, Qatar has hosted 
major events with the participation of USG officials and 
prominent Americans, such as the UN Financing for Development 
Follow-Up Conference, the Montreal Protocol (Ozone) 
Conference, the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative 
(EITI) Conference, and the Brookings U.S.-Islamic World Forum. 
 
-- As Qatar reforms its K-12 educational system, it is 
acutely aware of the need for quality textbooks and learning 
resources in science and other areas.  For example, the head 
of the Independent School Committee recently told us that 
Qatar needs 180,000 new, quality books in science and math 
for its preparatory and secondary schools. 
 
-- Qatar, like much of the Gulf, is experiencing a 
hydrocarbon-fueled building boom.  After several years of 
 
DOHA 00000413  003 OF 003 
 
 
seeing energy-inefficient skyscrapers constructed in Doha, 
the GOQ and leading environmental voices are starting to 
latch onto the "Green Buildings" movement.  U.S. advice, 
expertise, and technology could be crucial in helping Qatar's 
development proceed in an eco-friendly and 
technologically-advanced manner. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Successful engagement with Qatar calls for showing 
respect for its leaders' vision for education and creating 
partnerships to address areas of joint interest.  The U.S. 
private sector is already the leading partner in Qatar's 
efforts, and expanded USG involvement should be tailored to 
complement this successful partnership. 
 
-- One example of the sort of partnership Qatar prefers is a 
joint British Pound 250 million fund established between the 
Qatar Investment Authority (Qatar's sovereign wealth fund) 
and the UK-based Carbon Trust.  The QIA contributed 150 
million and the fund intends to invest in clean energy 
technology and technology transfer to Qatar.  The fund is the 
result of high-level political engagement between the British 
and Qatari Prime Ministers, and the agreement was signed 
during Gordon Brown's November 2008 visit to Doha. 
 
-- The GOQ is open to working with the USG on specific 
development projects throughout the region, and has shown a 
predilection for education projects.  However, due to policy 
differences on certain issues and a Qatari desire to directly 
oversee disbursement of its funds, these would have to be 
coordinated on an individual basis.  Joint educational 
projects hold much promise; the QF-affiliated Reach Out to 
Asia (ROTA) Foundation is working on educational initiatives 
with partner NGOs in northern Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Education City has all the makings of a "center of 
excellence" for education and S&T thanks to the participation 
of U.S. educational institutions.  If the USG were to 
approach QF or Education City under any new initiative, we 
would need to think through exactly what "value-added" could 
be provided by the USG. 
 
-- At a minimum, the novel experiment of importing U.S. 
higher education at QF's Education City calls for rethinking 
the current framework and restrictions on USG funding, such 
as through the National Science Foundation (NSF).  A recent 
visit to Qatar by a senior NSF official revealed a strong 
interest at Education City in applying for USG funding. 
However, the current funding system may not be positioned to 
accommodate collaborative research projects abroad, even 
those involving U.S. institutions and researchers. 
 
A Final Thought: Devote Staff to the Initiative 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶7. (SBU) The points above indicate there is much opportunity, 
and much to be done, to follow-through on the President's 
speech and the Administration's intentions to boost S&T and 
other partnerships with the Arab and Muslim world.  From 
Post's perspective, such engagement would reinforce two of 
the strongest pillars of the bilateral relationship - our 
educational and commercial engagement.  However, this wider 
engagement will also require an increase in staffing to focus 
on these issues.  Post's sole Economic Officer already covers 
the full range of economic issues such as energy (oil and 
gas), terror finance, civil aviation security, and other 
high-priority issues.  Adding one more requirement to an 
already full plate will not allow these issues the attention 
they deserve. 
 
LeBaron