Author

The Innovation Centre at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) has so far supported over 35 creative ideas and several of them are at the field testing stage, a top official told Gulf Times. “More than 35 innovative ideas have been supported at the Innovation Centre, including 15%-20 % student ideas, 15-20% industrial collaboration ideas and the rest individual innovation ideas, in accordance with Qatar National Vision 2030,” explained Dr Nadir Yildirim, innovation director and acting executive director, Strategic Planning and Partnerships, Innovation Centre. Dr Yildirim emphasised that the centre has helped with the creation and acceleration of many ideas. “Currently, we are hosting ideas, which are moving forward for field testing. However, the overall goal is not to target measuring the success through numbers but to measure the impact in the ecosystem, which will bring success naturally. Therefore, the centre has been focusing on creating positive change in the ecosystem through hand-tailored workshops and certification programmes,” the director said. According to him, the centre, established in 2018, aims at developing systematic innovation, innovative entrepreneurship, pitching techniques and more to increase the awareness and build professional capacity in innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. “Innovation Centre is a pioneering initiative designed to strengthen the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem within and outside HBKU. It serves as the only innovation and entrepreneurship platform at HBKU for connecting people and sharing ideas, resources, and expertise, providing opportunities for meaningfully unique collaborations,” he said. The centre, noted the director, aims to be an intellectual source for existing incubation centres, entrepreneurship centres, and science and technology park in the country and it has been designed to be an innovative idea capture centre that transfers ideas to Qatar’s innovation pipeline. Yildirim said that the centre has been focusing on testing ideas and discovering their commercial potential. “If the idea shows potential for commercialisation, the centre provides guidance to the idea owner in collaboration with relevant Qatar Foundation entities, internal and external stakeholders,” he said. The centre offers niche innovation funds for students, researchers, scientists, faculty and Qatar Foundation members annually. These funds help students to test their ideas and discover the commercial potential, bring industry and faculty together to focus on real-life industry challenges, help create innovative solutions against social challenges. “The centre also offers courses, training, and workshops on innovation and entrepreneurship for capacity building in the ecosystem. It has been offering grants via its industrial innovation fund, social innovation fund, student innovation fund, and Kickstarter Fund to capture ideas at an early stage and move them forward into Qatar’s innovation pipeline. It has also been offering volunteer mentorship and guidance to any interested parties,” Yildirim said. “Innovation Centre is one of the most strategic initiatives of HBKU. It works closely with internal and external stakeholders for the creation of a meaningfully unique ecosystem that will boost innovation and entrepreneurship, not only in Qatar but also the region,” he said. “Other initiatives will be launched soon although the goal is not to have many new initiatives every year but to have essential programmes and offer them in sustainable and systematic ways to build intellectual capacity,” he added.    

The mastermind behind the cooling technologies for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 stadiums, has revealed the details of the whole process. Nicknamed ‘Dr Cool’, Dr Saud Ghani, professor of mechanical engineering at Qatar University led the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) research project resulting in the development of the cooling technologies in the stadiums for the upcoming World Cup. “Designing air conditioning for an open-air stadium was a big challenge for everyone,” Dr Ghani said. “The biggest design houses in the world had never designed an air-conditioned stadium before, so really, it was left to us. And with sustainability, modularity and functionality in mind, we did it.”   Dr Saud Ghani Dr Ghani’s plan was to create and maintain a microclimate bubble within the stadium, a task that inherently becomes harder in open-air stadiums. "The biggest challenge in cooling an open-air stadium is stopping outside warm air from entering it–the defining of the interaction boundary between the inside micro bubble and the outside macro climate. This meant that a detailed aerodynamic analysis needed to be done on the stadium form and footprint to better understand how to use its design to minimise the infiltration of the warm air into the stadium," he explained. His team began the work by 3D-printing scale models of the proposed stadiums for the World Cup. These models were placed in a wind tunnel for aerodynamic testing to see how their form and size was interacting with the external wind and how it could be improved. “After the 3D printed model was placed in the wind tunnel, smoke – representing wind – was pushed out at different pressures to test how the design reacted to wind at different speeds and various incoming directions,” continued Dr Ghani. “Then we used laser sheets and cameras to analyse the flow of air over the design, including the manner in which air enters and exits the stadium.” The measurements were then processed using a Computational Fluid Dynamics software to see what the temperature would be at each tier. Variants such as number of spectators and sweat produced were added, and then numerical simulations were done to see their effect on the temperature distribution inside the stadium. This step was critical in ensuring that the stadiums’ adaptive aerodynamic design would support the cooling process within the stadium rather than work against it. Non-technical aspects were also modified with the help of this step. “In Al Bayt Stadium, the initial design featured a darker coloured façade but was later changed to a lighter shade,” said Dr Ghani. “This simple change passively brought down the inside temperature by five degrees Celsius – a quick win.” Once the designs were optimised, the next step was to start working on the actual cooling system that would create a microclimate inside the stadiums. Dr Ghani’s ‘eureka’ moment in the project was when he realised that he did not need to cool the entire stadium but only the playing field and the spectators. “We needed to start from the playing field and go up to a height of two metres above the highest spectator seating level. Pumping out huge amounts of cold air to cool the entire open space is inefficient at best. We pump the exact amount of cold air into the exact place, maintain it and contain it—then recycle it all,” he remarked. Then, he worked on developing a spot cooling system – one which only cooled target areas. After extensive research and testing, the team came up with a state-of-the-art cooling technology that blows cold air on the players via football-sized nozzles alongside the pitch and smaller air diffusers under each spectator’s seat, pushing out cold air at ankle level. Dr Ghani’s approach is not just innovative, but also sustainable. Using the air circulation technique, the air is then drawn back and re-cooled before being pushed out. When asked about the need for air conditioning if the tournament is played in winter, Dr Ghani said that it was about thinking long-term and having venues that can be used all year round. The research effort to cool the stadiums served as a springboard for the pioneering cooling technology which has since been deployed in several places across Qatar, including Katara plaza, a commercial greenhouse, and even for cooling local cow barns. “The cooling technology used in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 stadiums was not delivered through standards and codes, as is normal practice. Instead, it was delivered by science, which was made possible through QNRF,” added Dr Ghani.

Sidra Medicine has announced two new programmes: the Executive Women’s Health Programme and the Well Woman Health Centre. The details of the services were announced on Monday by Dr Johnny Awwad, chair of Women’s Services. Dr Rudaina consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist and Dr Gbemisola (Shola) Okunoye, division chief of obstetrics were also present. Dr Awwad explained that the new services are very unique. “This year, we are taking an integrated and holistic approach to women’s health and wellness as we expand our services for girls and women in Qatar. They have more choices, especially in areas such as comprehensive health checks, menopause, fertility, gynaecology and maternity care.” The programme offers an annual comprehensive health and wellbeing review for women aged 18 and older. Female patients will receive a detailed assessment with evidence-based advice and personalised care plans. In addition to referrals to multi-specialist adult services such as endocrinology, rheumatology, dermatology, cardiology, pulmonary, internal medicine and mental health, in the future, the programme will also expand into personalised treatment options for patients to visit a wellness center for relaxation and treatment, as well as aesthetic care. It will be ready in the third quarter of 2022. The Well Woman Health Centre will be dedicated to the management of midlife women and beyond by providing a comprehensive and holistic approach to menopause. Women will be supported with advice and consultations related to risk factors such as osteoporosis, heart disease; breast and lung cancer screening and hormone replacement therapy. The service is expected to be operational before end of the year. Dr Okunoye announced that the facility has opened a new maternity ward featuring luxury suites. “It is unlike any other maternity ward in the country as it features six luxury suites fully customised with amenities and services to enhance the comfort and care of the mothers. We are also offering a high-risk maternal service to support women who have a background in medical challenges related to pregnancy,” Dr Okunoye said. The new maternity ward features luxury suites with patient bedrooms with en suite heated bathrooms, a lounge area with a pantry and guest bathrooms. The baby nursery includes private camera viewable for the parents. Dr Rudaina Hassan said: “It is important that women are empowered with knowledge about the options that are available to them when it comes to their reproductive and gynecological health. We want to assure them that they can come to us for a second opinion and this is critical in terms of hope for many young girls and women in the country.” Sidra Medicine currently offers a cervical cancer screening programme for women. The hospital works closely with HMC as part of a nation-wide “screen-and-treat” programme where following the screening at Sidra Medicine, patients are immediately referred for treatment. The hospital has also started to offer human papillomavirus vaccines for girls from the ages of 12 years onwards. Dr Awwad, who is also the chief of Reproductive Medicine at Sidra Medicine, confirmed the launch of a fertility preservation service in the coming months.    

The University of Doha For Science and Technology (UDST) is set to transform the higher education scenario by providing vast opportunities for students in Qatar and the region, especially in applied and vocational programmes. The first applied national university and the second national university in Qatar, UDST is also an embodiment of the country’s vision of becoming a knowledge economy with market-ready graduates equipped with various skillsets and enduring capabilities. UDST also complements the other universities in the country in realising the human capital potentials of the country. Speaking to Gulf Times on the sidelines of the announcement ceremony of the university, HE Dr Mohammed bin Saleh al-Sada, chairman of the UDST Board of Trustees and former Energy Minister, said the institution is well placed to transform the country’s educational scenario. “We are open to collaborations with national and international organisations and institutes. Research is a strong arm of the university and we hope our collaborations will lead to great outputs. “The activities of UDST are meant to achieve human, social and economic development in the country. The university will graduate highly qualified professionals that will lead Qatar towards becoming an advanced society capable of sustainable development, as stated in Qatar National Vision 2030,” he added. With over 50 Applied Bachelor's Degree and Master's Degree programmes in addition to diplomas that fall under four main streams: Engineering Technology and Industrial Trades, Business Management, Computing and Information Technology, and Health Sciences, UDST offers a world of options for students. With some of its programmes so advanced such as the bachelors in Data and Cyber Security’ Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, Applied Business Administration in Banking and Financial Technology, Applied Science in Respiratory Therapy, and Applied Science in Medical Radiography among others, UDST is one of the best options for applied sciences and technology not only in Qatar but in the entire region and beyond. UDST president Dr Salem bin Nasser Al-Naemi told Gulf Times that the mandate for the university is to make the graduates market and industry ready. “We have state of the art facilities and all our programmes are internationally accredited. With world class faculty and cutting edge programmes, we shape well qualified and highly skilled graduates who can contribute to the development of the country. Dr Al-Naemi had told in an earlier interview that the university aims to attract students from other countries in the region and beyond. He remarked: “We have the best infrastructure, for an applied university, some of the most advanced programmes and we have aligned all our programmes with the evolving technology. UDST aims to meet the educational need of students and the requirements of the growing economy locally and globally, and will constantly develop to consolidate its position as one of the most prominent international universities. We are offering our programmes with highest level of proficiency and all our programmes are internationally accredited. This gives the students an extra advantage compared to many of the other universities.” He also stated that the university gives research high priority through its Applied Research and Innovation Centre that supports research and innovation through strengthening technical and vocational learning, policy, and practice. Furthermore, UDST has a pre-incubation hub launched in partnership with Qatar Development Bank that assists all entrepreneurial students, alumni to tap into the innovation ecosystem. With Qatar University continuing to scale greater heights and is consecutively being placed high in various international rankings and Qatar Foundation’s Education City changing the face of education in the country and thriving with its own homegrown university and several international partner universities, UDST complements one another and makes the higher education landscape of the country more competitive and attractive. While graduates will have a number of choices with some of the most advanced programmes, Qatar is set to be the torchbearer of applied and technical education in the region and beyond.

*Qatar's first national applied university to be developed as a world-class institution       Qatar’s first National Applied University, The University of Doha for Science and Technology (UDST), will be developed as a world-class institution, offering Applied Master's and Bachelor’s degree programmes in addition to diplomas, it was announced on Monday. His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani issued Amiri Decision No. 13 of 2022 on February 27, establishing The University of Doha for Science and Technology. UDST, the second national university in the country, was previously known as College of the North Atlantic - Qatar. The announcement of the new university was made yesterday during a press conference by HE Dr Mohamed bin Saleh al-Sada, chairman of the UDST Board of Trustees and Former Minister of Energy and Industry, in the presence of Dr Salem Al-Naemi, UDST president. The new logo of the university was also unveiled at the event. Making the announcement, HE Dr al-Sada said: “This is a big milestone for the country. The university’s name was chosen by His Highness the Amir as the leadership decided to turn the institute into a university. Science and technology will become a core differentiator in attracting students and partners to the university while it will offer many programmes in various fields. It will offer Applied Master's and Bachelor’s degree programmes in addition to diplomas. Through its programmes the university aims to achieve human, social and economic development in the country.” Dr Al-Naemi noted that it was a natural progression for the institute and currently there are over 5,300 students at the university. “UDST aims to meet the local needs and further develop its positioning as a world-class university. We have carefully planned our educational approach and our core objectives to benefit our students and the wider community. We will offer workplace training for students to gain a deeper experience in their field of study.” He also said the university will continue with English as the medium of instruction as per the industry needs. “We have a world-class infrastructure for an applied university and we have aligned all our programmes with the evolving technology. We are offering all our programmes with the highest level of proficiency and all the programmes are internationally accredited. This gives the students an extra advantage,” the university president added. UDST offers over 50 programmes with Applied Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree programmes in addition to diplomas. The programmes fall under four main streams: Engineering Technology and Industrial Trades, Business Management, Computing and Information Technology and Health Sciences. Four programmes are completely new in Qatar: Bachelor of Applied Business Administration in Banking and Financial Technology, Bachelor of Applied Science in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, Bachelor of Applied Science in Respiratory Therapy, and Bachelor of Applied Science in Medical Radiography. HE Dr al-Sada noted that the new programmes are compatible with changes in the labour market and include unique and diverse specialisations, referring to the applied approach of the university, which works to secure an educational environment based on training and simulating workplaces, so that students are fully prepared to engage in the labour market upon their graduation. The university gives research high priority through its Applied Research and Innovation Centre that supports research and innovation by strengthening technical and vocational learning, policy and practice. It is currently developing a five-year research strategy to meet the country's needs. The strategy is aligned with the national research priority areas such as sustainability, food security among others. Further, UDST has a pre-incubation hub launched in partnership with Qatar Development Bank, that assists all entrepreneurial students, alumni to tap into the innovation ecosystem, and a library that provides thousands of online and offline resources and incorporates group study rooms and study carrels. The campus offers students a vibrant environment and gives them the chance to join clubs, sports teams and participate in many activities in addition to leadership development opportunities and student employment programme. There are male and female facilities that include: fitness rooms, swimming pools, sport and wellness courts and centres, cafeterias and student lounges. UDST will continue to offer 2-year and 3-year diplomas in addition to the new programmes, all framed within a student-centred approach.    

The College of Humanities and Social Science (CHSS) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) equips graduates to become leaders and change-makers in a rapidly changing world, noted the founding dean. “The college ensures that education is extended beyond the physical boundaries of a classroom. Through our local and global partnerships, our students develop projects to apply their research to the real world,” said Dr Amal al-Malki. “Whether it’s by making cinema and entertainment more inclusive, or by tracking social media trends or pinpointing and investigating various forms of fake news and disinformation, our students reap the benefits of their education before graduating from our programmes and influencing their local communities by spreading the values of the College of Humanities of Social Sciences,” explained Dr al-Malki. The dean said that CHSS encourages the students to gain access to the professional world in many ways. “All our students are granted the opportunity to intern and interact with organisations in their fields, where they are given the chance to respond to everyday challenges, and resolve problems under the guidance of experts and specialists,” continued the dean. According to the academic, all students are afforded the chance to participate in conferences on a global as well as a local level, where they find opportunities to not only share their research and work with globally respected academic scholars in their fields, but also a chance to network with them and gain access to a vast array of academic and professional opportunities. Dr al-Malki pointed out that CHSS is home to one PhD and five Master of Arts programmes. “We offer interdisciplinary programmes in two main academic fields: Translation and Interpreting Studies and Middle Eastern Studies. These programmes equip our students with skill sets from a scholarly and applied perspective,” she said. The dean also highlighted that the multidisciplinary aspect of the college equips students with an array of skills that would benefit them not only on an academic level, but also on a professional one. “These skills include but are not limited to critical thinking, problem-solving skills, time management, the ability to excel through teamwork, excelling in research methodologies and identifying innovative solutions. These skills are so diverse and useful because students adopt and develop them after being exposed to several different schools of thought and academic perspectives,” she said. Besides quality education, diversity is a unique selling point that makes HBKU an inviting institute of education as it is home to students from over 60 nationalities making the educational, student, faculty and staff experience all the more enriching. Another unique aspect is the Education City’s unmatched ecosystem. By joining HBKU, our students also join Education City as a whole, and have access to multiple resources, venues, and projects. “The educators of our programmes are leading scholars and researchers in their fields who are motivated by the college's commitment to social justice. We therefore go beyond the scope of offering high quality education to the community,” Dr al-Malki said.    

A new search engine developed by a Qatar Foundation entity, makes it easier to get official statements of all member states of the United Nations (UN) instantly. Diplomaticpulse.org developed by the Social Computing Group at Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI) allows users to quickly search for official statements and press releases from all member states of the UN. Based on a close partnership with the UN, the work was led by Dr Ingmar Weber, research director of the Social Computing Group at QCRI, part of QF’s Hamad Bin Khalifa University, according to an article on the QF website. Dr Weber said: “We were participating in a workshop on how to use new technologies for conflict prevention and peacemaking, and that is when the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (UNDPPA) expressed their struggle with the lack of a database that consolidates official statements made by UN member states on a specific topic. The only way to do it then was to go to each country’s official website and find it which was a tedious and time-consuming process.” Dr Weber is a German data scientist who has been based in Qatar for the past nine years. His interdisciplinary research looks at what online user-generated data can tell us about the offline world and society at large. “If you wanted to see official statements made by different UN member state countries at COP26, you would have to go to each country’s website and find it there. It works but it isn’t efficient at all,” explained, Dr Weber. “Together with UNDPPA, the Social Computing team at QCRI then gave it some thought to see what we could do from a practical point of view. The solution was straightforward – a customised search engine,” continued, Dr Weber. The Diplomatic Pulse differs from traditional search engines like Google as “it only uses specific official sources, rather than the internet at large.” To create the search engine, the first thing needed was the official list of websites for each UN member state, which was provided by the UNDPPA. “We then worked on teaching the tool how to identify the relevant elements on each website and each article,” noted, Dr Weber. “With 193 UN member states, and several different website layouts and styles, it was not an easy task. And what made it harder was that some countries that don’t type up their official statements, but upload scanned copies,” remarked, the expert. “The biggest challenge was dealing with each website’s different layout and then the different structures of articles. Because we were teaching the tool to fetch information, we had to tell it where exactly to look in an article for relevant information which needed to be indexed,’ he highlighted. The web tool offers the option to search by keyword as well as country, and the ability to filter by date. Speaking on how often the tool updates or refreshes with new information, Dr Weber said, “Every 15 minutes. For this sort of work, that is almost real-time.” Dr Martin Waehlisch from the UNDPPA Innovation Cell, said: “Using new technologies to mine information quickly allows us to better understand positions of global state actors and see where consensus is lacking or emerging. And this is just the beginning, the collected data will help us in the long-run to analyse trends and patterns in foreign affairs.” “We want to improve the tool so it can be more than a search engine that operates based on keywords. We are aiming to add advanced analytics to it which would allow it to decode diplomatic language to a certain degree. This will revolutionise diplomacy in the future thanks to new technologies that are co-developed by the UN and QCRI for the common good of peace,” added, Dr Weber.

A research team from the Gas Processing Centre at Qatar University (QU) has developed a novel method to meet the need for green materials in the wastewater treatment field. The team comprising Prof Mustafa Nasser, research professor, Prof Ibnelwaleed Hussien, research professor, Prof Abdelbaki Benamer, research professor, and Dana al-Risheq, MSc environmental engineering graduate, alongside Prof Hazim Qiblawey from the Chemical Engineering Department at QU examined multiple green materials for the treatment of colloidal suspension-contaminated wastewater with very fine suspended particle. Coagulation/flocculation is a reliable and efficient technique to clarify colloidal suspension. It requires the addition of a chemical agent known as coagulant/ flocculant to bring the colloids in wastewater together forming larger particles that will settle down under the influence of gravity. “Currently, the chemical agents employed in the industrial field demonstrate some challenges regarding their limited efficiency and negative impacts on the environment. In this regard, it has become necessary to identify new environmentally friendly materials with greater treatment potential,” says an article on the latest issue of QU research magazine. “The investigation of the research team led to discovering the novel application of choline chloride based natural deep eutectic solvents (Nades) as a coagulant for colloidal suspensions. The research group was able to synthesise, characterise, test, and prove for the first time the effectiveness of choline chloride based Nades as a coagulant,” the article explains. Nades are chemical mixtures of naturally abundant components such as choline chloride, organic acids, amides, and sugars. They are known for their simple and time-efficient synthesis method, biodegradability, and non-toxicity. However, there were no studies on the applications of Nades for wastewater treatment. The research group led by Prof Nasser noticed the potential of using choline chloride based Nades in the coagulation/ flocculation process after analysing the chemical structure of the compound. “The similarity in Nades structure with polyacrylamide, which is a widely used flocculant in the industry, drove the research groups’ attention to investigate its treatment efficiency for colloidal suspensions. They proposed that the positive charge in the Nades structure will reduce the repulsive forces between the negatively charged colloidal particles. Hence, the particles will come together forming a greater mass that will settle with gravity and thus, separate the liquid and solid phases,” pointed out the researcher. The experiments were conducted using bentonite clay minerals to represent colloidal particles in suspension. Nades was synthesised from choline chloride and an organic acid with continuous mixing and heating until a homogeneous mixture is formed. “The efficiency of the synthesised Nades as a coagulant was determined according to specific criteria which include reduction in the turbidity of the treated suspension and the size of settled particles. The tested Nades was found to be highly efficient for the treatment of bentonite suspensions. It significantly reduced the turbidity of the system with a relatively small dosage. Furthermore, the size of the formed particles was sufficient for them to settle and produce clarified water within two minutes,” concludes the article.    

A research team from the Gas Processing Centre at Qatar University (QU) has developed a novel method to meet the need for green materials in the wastewater treatment field. The team comprising Prof Mustafa Nasser, research professor, Prof Ibnelwaleed Hussien, research professor, Prof Abdelbaki Benamer, research professor, and Dana al-Risheq, MSc environmental engineering graduate, alongside Prof Hazim Qiblawey from the Chemical Engineering Department at QU examined multiple green materials for the treatment of colloidal suspension-contaminated wastewater with very fine suspended particle. Coagulation/flocculation is a reliable and efficient technique to clarify colloidal suspension. It requires the addition of a chemical agent known as coagulant/ flocculant to bring the colloids in wastewater together forming larger particles that will settle down under the influence of gravity. “Currently, the chemical agents employed in the industrial field demonstrate some challenges regarding their limited efficiency and negative impacts on the environment. In this regard, it has become necessary to identify new environmentally friendly materials with greater treatment potential,” says an article on the latest issue of QU research magazine. “The investigation of the research team led to discovering the novel application of choline chloride based natural deep eutectic solvents (Nades) as a coagulant for colloidal suspensions. The research group was able to synthesise, characterise, test, and prove for the first time the effectiveness of choline chloride based Nades as a coagulant,” the article explains. Nades are chemical mixtures of naturally abundant components such as choline chloride, organic acids, amides, and sugars. They are known for their simple and time-efficient synthesis method, biodegradability, and non-toxicity. However, there were no studies on the applications of Nades for wastewater treatment. The research group led by Prof Nasser noticed the potential of using choline chloride based Nades in the coagulation/ flocculation process after analysing the chemical structure of the compound. “The similarity in Nades structure with polyacrylamide, which is a widely used flocculant in the industry, drove the research groups’ attention to investigate its treatment efficiency for colloidal suspensions. They proposed that the positive charge in the Nades structure will reduce the repulsive forces between the negatively charged colloidal particles. Hence, the particles will come together forming a greater mass that will settle with gravity and thus, separate the liquid and solid phases,” pointed out the researcher. The experiments were conducted using bentonite clay minerals to represent colloidal particles in suspension. Nades was synthesised from choline chloride and an organic acid with continuous mixing and heating until a homogeneous mixture is formed. “The efficiency of the synthesised Nades as a coagulant was determined according to specific criteria which include reduction in the turbidity of the treated suspension and the size of settled particles. The tested Nades was found to be highly efficient for the treatment of bentonite suspensions. It significantly reduced the turbidity of the system with a relatively small dosage. Furthermore, the size of the formed particles was sufficient for them to settle and produce clarified water within two minutes,” concludes the article.

*QF Education City recognised as 'Healthy Education City'    The World Health Organisation (WHO) awarded Doha and Al Rayyan municipalities the designation of 'Healthy Cities' and Qatar Foundation’s (QF) Education City as 'Healthy Education City' on Sunday at a ceremony attended by HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz al-Thani. The Ministry of Public Health, in collaboration with the Ministry of Municipality and QF, organised the ceremony at Msheireb Downtown Doha. The ceremony was attended by HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad al-Thani, Vice-Chairperson and CEO of QF, HE the Minister of Public Health Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari, HE the Minister of Municipality Abdulla bin Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Subaie, a number of Sheikhs and other ministers, Dr Ahmed al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO), in addition to high-level officials from the Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of Municipality, QF, WHO, ministries and partner entities. "We have 102 cities registered for the designation in the Eastern Mediterranean region since 2012. So far only 18 cities have been given the status of 'Healthy Cities' and two of them are from Qatar. Among the ' Healthy Education Cities' only two have entered the distinction and Qatar Foundation's Education City is one of them," Dr Maha El-Adawy, director of Division of Healthier Population at WHO, EMRO, told Gulf Times at a press conference. The 'Healthy City' initiative aims to improve the health of populations by promoting health and wellbeing, empowerment and equity among residents and preventing the main causes of diseases through incorporating health in all policies, which fosters co-operation and partnership across sectors and with the community. The 'Healthy Education City' award is part of the 'Health-Promoting Universities' programme and the 'Healthy City' programme. HE Sheikha Hind said, “Improving people’s health and wellbeing within our cities and communities requires shared commitment and action from many stakeholders, including Qatar Foundation. “Collaborative work of this kind has been instrumental in the World Health Organisation granting two municipalities in Qatar the status of a ‘Healthy City’, and we look forward to contributing to further efforts to make our cities healthier places in which to work, learn, and live.” HE Dr al-Kuwari noted, “The adoption of the 'Healthy City' initiative affirms Qatar’s commitment to achieving universal health. We aim to promote physical and mental health for all members of our population through our health strategy and Qatar National Vision 2030. We have developed strong partnerships by bringing together policymakers, researchers, academics and leaders from different sectors and industries through the development of a ‘Healthy City Network’, to facilitate joint work and collaborations aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of our population.” “Receiving the WHO 'Healthy City' accreditation for Doha and Al Rayyan municipalities, as well as the recognition of Education City as ‘Healthy Education City’, is a reflection of the efforts across government and key stakeholders towards prioritising the health and well-being of the population of Qatar. This is the first step in our 'Healthy City' accreditation journey and we are committed to achieving this accreditation for all eight municipalities,” she added. HE al-Subaie noted, “The awarding of Doha and Al Rayyan as 'Healthy Cities' by the WHO affirms Qatar's commitment to transform Qatari cities into healthy cities, through sustainable urban development and high-quality life to improve the health and wellbeing of all people across Qatar. This achievement is a culmination of efforts to develop all municipalities in the country and to upgrade the level of projects and services provided to residents, to achieve the Ministry of Municipality's strategic goals of maintaining eco-friendly cities with green, healthy, and scenic facilities; and enhancing the ease of living and quality of life.” “Qatar has demonstrated significant commitment to improving health and well-being and to strong cooperation among partners from government, academia and civil society, ensuring that the health and well-being of its population remain a top priority. This reflected strong commitment towards the EMR vision 2023: health for all by all,” Dr al-Mandhari added. The 'Healthy City' programme is a global initiative launched by the WHO at placing health on top of the social and political agenda of cities by promoting health, equity and sustainable development through innovation and multi-sectoral change.    

Only 18 cities in the Eastern Mediterranean region (EMRO) of the World Health Organisation (WHO) have been awarded the “Healthy City” status since the inception of the initiative, and two cities from Qatar are among them in addition to Qatar Foundation's (QF) Education City, an official told *Gulf Times. The Doha and Al Rayyan municipalities were awarded the “Healthy City” designation and the QF’s Education City was designated “Healthy Education City” by the WHO on Sunday. “So far, 103 cities have registered for the title, and only 18 awarded the (status),” Dr Maha El-Adawy, the director of Division of Healthier Population at WHO, EMRO, told *Gulf Times at a press conference. Also present were QF City Operations executive director Hamad Mohamed al-Kuwari, Jaber Hassan al-Jaber from the Ministry of Municipality, and Dr Sadriya al-Kohji, assistant medical director for children and adolescent services at the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC). “Qatar started the process in 2018 and due to the coronavirus (Covid-19), it got delayed,” Dr El-Adawy noted. “Qatar has come forward with a strong presence with three places – two cities and an educational institution becoming part of the ‘Healthy City’ initiative.” “Generally, the process of evaluation and awarding takes 2-3 years, and Qatar completed it soon despite the Covid-19 challenges,” she added. According to the EMRO official, there are nine different domains to be considered for the title of “Healthy City”, which include community participation and engagement, capacity building, and social and environmental issues. “We make the assessment with the all the stakeholders, government officials, city authorities and others, Dr El-Adawy explained. “We discuss all these aspects and make the assessment which leads to the final external evaluation with people from our office as well as experts from other organisations.” “In these assessments, each city has to achieve 80% of the criteria to be awarded the designation,” she added. “Both the cities in Qatar completed the criteria and scored over 80%. In the case of the Education City, it was much more than 80%, which is very encouraging and positive.” The status of “Healthy City” is valid for three years, after which there will be a reevaluation to make sure that the entire process is continuing. “The cities can add more parameters if they wish. Some cities have requested a five-year validity … we are discussing with them if it can be possible,” Dr El-Adawy said. “The Education City is the second institution in the region to be awarded the title. However, the Education City is much larger, and we have more institutes in the campus and so this can be termed as one of its kind,” she remarked. The PHCC’s Dr al-Kohji said that Qatar aims at getting all the eight municipalities awarded as “Healthy Cities” by the WHO. “From the beginning, the idea came as a project to building healthy cities to reduce the burden of obesity among children in the country,” she said. “It was one of the strategic goals to be achieved.” “We also want to reduce the communicable disease and provide a healthy environment,” Dr al-Kohji added. “We hope that this designation is a big step in that direction. As we have got two cities designated as ‘Healthy City’, we plan to add all the municipalities in the country in the project.”    

There will be three command groups to look after the medical services during the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2022, noted a senior official Saturday. “We have more or less a similar national health strategy for the upcoming FIFA World Cup as in the case of Covid-19 strategy. There will be three tactical command groups to look after the organisation of the whole medical services during the event,” disclosed Dr Muna al-Maslamani, medical director, Communicable Disease Centre, Hamad Medical Corporation. Dr al-Maslamani was speaking at the concluding plenary session of the Qatar Health 2022 and 2nd Qatar Public Health virtual conference on the topic ‘What is the future for mass gatherings, in the post-vaccine world?’ “Of the three groups, one will be looking at the acute service with the hospitalisation and isolation facility: another one will provide the community with quarantine facility as well as track and trace services. The final group will look into the public health information. Moreover, there will be a spokesperson related to FIFA World Cup,” explained Dr al-Maslamani. The other speakers at the panel discussion were Dr Dalia Samouri, WHO; Prof Pierre Carli, France and Dr Kristina Angelo, CDC, Atlanta and the session was moderated by Dr Roberto Bertollini from the Ministry of Public Health. Dr al-Maslamani also spoke about the lessons learnt during the Covid-19 pandemic and how it showed the importance of a proactive approach applied by Qatar during the pandemic. “We started the preparation even before the first case was reported in Qatar.We made all the preparation and in parallel, we also had an emergency plan preparation. Because of this, we got a prompt and efficient response when the crisis hit us. We had a central health command centre for smooth conduct of the process and got it connected with all the ministries and other stakeholders. The same will play an important role during the World Cup as well,” noted the official. Dr Samouri highlighted the need for aligned message and trust for the conduct of mega events. “We need to build trust and provide the right information to counter rumours. We need to build trust and the right message has to go to the public. Therefore we need to educate the public to get the right message from the right source. This will help to deliver the right message at the right time,” said Dr Samouri. She also noted that after the event, there should be a proper understanding of the whole process that has taken place. “We need to understand if we were acting in the right way; whether we were planning the interventions in the right way or did we have the right system. We have a lot of tools that can be used to review the response and review how the mass gathering has taken place. This will help generate the right legacy for the country,” she highlighted. According to Prof Carli, responses from different corners have to be synchronised and right message must be formed. “Medical coordination is an important point for any mass gathering. Communication is another one. There should be more interconnection between communication , services and the medical arrangements. We need to continue to share information among all stakeholders to create a core content of knowledge. It is extremely important to make mass gatherings efficient,” he said. Meanwhile, Dr Angelo focused on the travellers and the need to take them into spotlight as they are the people more affected by pandemics at the outset. “It is very important that we have public health emergency department for the mass gathering programme. Systematic surveillance is very important to contain the spread of any pandemic especially during any mega event. Economic data and the airline data is also crucial to identify new or emerging top destinations and to know more about the specifics of the places,” she added.

Qatar currently has the capacity to test about 2-3% of the population of the country for Covid-19 on a daily basis, as the national healthcare system is more resilient to meet any eventuality, noted a senior official on Friday. “In the beginning we could test only about 1000 people a day. Now it has grown to a capacity of about 70,000 which is about 2-3% of the total population of the country," said Dr Sheikh Mohamed bin Hamd al-Thani, director of Public Health at the Ministry of Public Health. "We can test the whole population within a month if necessary. Similarly, there has been great advancements in various fields as ICU capacity increased threefold. We have trained more people in public health and contact tracing to meet any future situation, making the system more resilient," he explained. Sheikh Mohamed was speaking at a plenary panel on ‘Emerging Stronger from the Pandemic: Building a more resilient system’ on the second day of Qatar Health 2022 and 2nd Qatar Public Health virtual conference. The other members of the panel were Dr Bassem Jarrar, Communicable Disease Centre, Atlanta, US; Prof Bart Haagmans, Erasmus University, New Zealand and Prof Carlos Castillo-Salgado from Johns Hopkins University, US. The session was moderated by Dr Hanan Abdul Rahim, dean of the College of Health Sciences, Qatar University. As for the upcoming World Cup, Sheikh Mohamed said that the healthcare system is well set to provide all the support for the mega event. “Qatar is well prepared and ready for the 2022 World Cup. Resilience is so important in future too as we were very resilient all through the pandemic and we have to be so during the upcoming World Cup. Our lessons from this experience are so important for us to meet any future eventuality and it can help us grow in a better direction,” explained, Sheikh Mohamed. The public health director also pointed out that Qatar has a national health strategy that comes to an end this year. “We are starting a new national health strategy soon. In Qatar investment in health has become well organised, leading to preventive measures and a resilient system. We are part of a global security system in healthcare as world leaders have agreed with transferring of data and other information to get more advanced healthcare. During Covid-19 we have seen the highest number of researches on one disease which is a positive outcome as countries were ready to share information with one another," he remarked. Prof Haagmans noted that resilient health systems are aware of early signals of any emerging diseases and can pick up preventive measures. “Healthcare systems must be ready with early detection systems in place to meet any future eventuality. This will further develop the importance of epidemiology. I also see the need for quick intervention for future outbreaks to develop intervention strategies for vaccines. This can be connected to early detection, epidemiology and the intervention strategies that one should look for,” he said. Prof Salgado noted that the collaborations from the scientists has never been so strong as in these times. "It has been so speedy and the national history of Covid-19 was developed so fast. I hope that the continuation of the collaborations between the nations around the globe will be enhanced. All the knowledge about a disease is very critical for the humanity and that collaboration is totally important,” he pointed out. “Lot of things gives me hope. This gives us a new opportunity to start new programmes to increase the number of people who are trained especially the frontline workers. To pick up the early warning signals, we need the people at grass root levels to be well trained,” concluded, Dr Jarrar.    

* New embassy building site located in Diplomatic Enclave, West Bay HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani and Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Wednesday jointly unveiled the foundation stone for the new Indian embassy chancery building located in the Diplomatic Enclave, West Bay. HE ambassador Ibrahim Fakhro, director of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a number of Qatari officials, Indian ambassador Dr Deepak Mittal and several Indian community members were present on the occasion. HE Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, Dr S Jaishankar and Dr Deepak Mittal at the event Addressing the gathering, Dr Jaishankar said it was great to be a part of the foundation stone-laying ceremony for the Indian embassy’s chancery complex. “Qatar is second home to more than 750,000 Indians and a number of them who have been in Qatar for many years – some of them for about even 50 years -- are here taking part in the function today.” Thanking the Qatari leadership for facilitating the allotment of the land for the new premises, Dr Jaishankar said the participation of HE Sheikh Mohamed in the foundation stone-laying ceremony was a matter of great pride for all Indians in Qatar. “It also represents the growing strength and mutual trust in India-Qatar co-operation. The local Indian community will receive confidence from Qatar government’s affection and commitment to their welfare. I take this opportunity to convey my deepest gratitude to His Highness the Amir and His Highness the Father Amir for their continued support to the thriving Indian community in Qatar,” noted Dr Jaishankar. He also said the India-Qatar diplomatic relations are completing 50 years in 2023. “As India’s relation with Qatar grows from strength to strength, the embassy’s role in nurturing it will expand equally. I am pleased to see a flourishing Indian community in Qatar. Your presence here is a microcosm of India’s diversity and culture. I am impressed by the vibrancy and achievements of the community. I am proud to say that Indian community in Qatar has raised the prestige and reputation of India in this country through their tireless efforts,” he explained. “Your work ethics as well as law-abiding nature has set up high benchmarks. You are also continuing your historical legacy in modern times and providing strength to our bilateral relations. It is my pleasure to dedicate the foundation stone-laying ceremony to the vibrant and hardworking Indian community here in Qatar,” the minister said. He highlighted the efforts of the medical fraternity from the community during Covid-19. “The embassy represents the nation and it is your link with the Government of India. Through our embassies, the government is taking steps to deliver services promptly and more efficiently. We strive to work for the welfare of everyone. I am confident that the new embassy premises in its final form will reflect the new India and serve the community to the fullest,” he added. Dr Jaishankar welcomed the Indian community's enthusiastic participation in the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to mark India’s 75 years of Independence. He also highlighted the Indian government’s measures implemented for the welfare of the Indian community.

Holiday Homes, an initiative of Qatar Tourism, is getting enthusiastic response from the residents as more and more people are keen to rent out their properties. The project provides free of charge licence to individuals to rent out their properties to travellers from all over the world. Several people have got the licence within a very short time and they say that the entire process is very smooth and easy. Mohamed al-Ansari, director of Tourism Licensing, Qatar Tourism said that Qatar offers visitors authentic experiences rooted in service excellence. “With an award-winning hospitality sector, Qatar Tourism added a new offering to the market. The Holiday Homes initiative allows visitors to rent accommodation from local property owners, enabling them to more fully experience the destination,” al-Ansari told Gulf Times. According to al-Ansari, to take part in the initiative, property owners and tenants must apply for a Holiday Homes licence through Qatar Tourism’s corporate website under the e-services section.   He explained: “The properties are certified by Qatar Tourism, which ensures quality standards and safety requirements are met. Once the licence is awarded, homeowners can list their property on popular international websites such as Airbnb, Booking.com, Holidayhomes.com and Vrbo.” “The initiative aims at boosting the visitors’ experience through new accommodation options tailored to those looking for a true authentic experience. At the same time, it provides property owners with the opportunity to utilise unused residential spaces and facilities. As Qatar prepares to welcome the world for FIFA World Cup 2022, we are committed to providing visitors with safe, authentic experiences, that showcase the diversity of our offerings and the warmth of our people,” continued the official. Nishad Azeem, an Indian national, who has received the license to rent out his property said that he received the licence within10 days. “I came to know about the project from Qatar Tourism. It took around 10 days to get the licence. The application was made online and the process was easy and smooth. I have got licence to rent my one bedroom townhouse. Property owners are able to host their properties legally and get endorsement from Qatar Tourism authorities,” Azeem said. “We have registered with Airbnb and booking.com and we look forward to Qatar Tourism website for hosting our property. I will continue to offer the facility even after the World Cup and it is a good project that can boost the real estate business in Qatar,” he remarked. Al- Ansari highlighted that from our award-winning national carrier and airport to our lauded hospitality sector, state-of-the-art metro system, and a wide range of attractions, Qatar offers service excellence along each stage of the visitor journey. “This is complemented by Qatar Tourism’s digital assets, such as the Visit Qatar website and mobile application which features an up-to-date events calendar along with showcasing tourism offerings and 360-degree views of iconic sites around the country. These platforms are already available in multiple languages such as English, Arabic, German, French etc with Russian, Turkish, China to be added soon. The mobile app facilitates exploration of the destination and its offerings, thereby boosting the visitors experience,” he added.    

Avani Vijayakumar, a longtime resident of Qatar and a noted literary figure and social activist among the Indian community, is leaving Qatar for good. Several community organisations in Qatar recently felicitated Vijayakumar for his social and literary contributions. He is set to leave the country by early February. Popularly known as ‘Avani’ among his friends and community members, Vijayakumar reached Qatar in 1996 and has completed 25 years in the country. Prior to his stint in Doha, he spent about two decades in Bahrain. Vijayakumar is well known for his literary works and many of his works have been appreciated by the community in Qatar and back in India. He has written several poems and short stories, which have been published in several periodicals both in Qatar and India. Many of his works have been compiled into a book called ‘Avanikathirukal’ and was published by a leading publishing house in the Indian state of Kerala. Vijayakumar hails from Thakazhi, the birthplace of Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, a leading Indian writer, who is also popularly known as Thakazhi. He fondly recollects his association with Pillai’s family in his early days and his long relationship with the family members of the writer. Vijayakumar feels that his literary talents were influenced by his association with the great writer in his childhood and young age until he left the country. However, he regrets that the busy work schedule in the Gulf prevented him from becoming a full-fledged writer. Vijayakumar has been working as the divisional manager of Al-Ghorairi & Partners in Qatar. He is associated with many of the leading community organisations such as Kerala Social and Cultural Organisation, Madhyamam Club, Friends Cultural Centre, KMCC Qatar and Pravasi Doha, among others. He is married to Ajitha Vijayakumar and the couple has a daughter, Anitha, and son, Vineeth. Vijayakumar plans to spend his retirement by travelling across India and other places as well as engaging in social and literary activities in his hometown.    

Graduated driver licensing (GDL), improved licensing and training, and improved young driver culture and attitudes are among the 12 recommendations to increase young and novice driver safety in Qatar, according to an article published recently. Published on Qscience.com last week from the 'Journal of Emergency Medicine, Trauma and Acute Care', a peer-reviewed journal, the study highlights that young driver behaviour and safety are key concerns in Qatar, where they are disproportionately represented among road victims and fatalities. QScience.com is the collaborative, peer-reviewed, online publishing platform from Hamad bin Khalifa University Press (HBKU Press). It offers a fast and transparent Open Access scholarly publishing process, which is centred on the author, bringing their research to a global audience. This paper summarises the proceedings of a workshop titled 'Enhancing the Safety of Young and Novice Drivers in Qatar', held as a pre-conference workshop of the 24th World Congress of the International Traffic Medicine Association in Doha. A guided discussion was conducted among a selected multi-sectoral group of 50 stakeholders, representing Law Enforcement, Health, Society and Education, Transport, and Road Safety. Each group discussed the best evidence and local realities of young driver safety in Qatar. Using a modified Delphi approach, key areas were identified and prioritised; consensus recommendations were obtained and summarised The authors, Rafael Consunji, Guillaume Alinier, Aisha Fathi Abeid, Lynda M Murray and Brian Fildes, have complied a dozen recommendations supported by relevant published evidence as well as expert opinion. The article also says these suggestions have been shared with the relevant authorities for future policies. Road traffic injury (RTI) rates have been decreasing steadily since 2006 but are still the leading cause of death for the population of Qatar, from ages 1 to 45 years. Young drivers, defined as less than 30 years of age, have been identified by various researchers as the highest risk population for RTI and motor vehicle crashes in Qatar One key recommendation is GDL, which is designed to provide new drivers with driving experience and skills gradually over time in low-risk environments. GDL appears to be most effective for those who are at initially the highest risk, such as young males and hence it would be a beneficial system to adopt in Qatar. Another recommendation is improved police enforcement with enhanced demerit points for young drivers and drug testing. The article explains, “Police enforcement can be achieved in several passive and active ways. The passive methods are already extensively implemented in Qatar and include fixed and mobile surveillance and speed cameras as well as occasional roadside monitoring by police officers. The active enforcement methods involve interactions between police officers and drivers.” Another major recommendation is improved licensing and training. “There have been several reviews performed evaluating the effectiveness of driver education and training on road safety, most of which show little support to traditional driver training. However, caution should be taken when interpreting these findings as many studies introduce numerous confounding variables by way of design,” says the article. Development and adoption of technology to make vehicles safer is another recommendation. It may include collision prevention technology, driver attention and situational awareness monitoring, as well as engineering or structural design features that protect vehicle passengers and pedestrians by absorbing the force of a collision and minimising passenger compartment intrusion. As for improved young driver culture and attitudes, the article says public education and media initiatives play a crucial role in fostering pro-safety attitudes and reinforcing enforcement practices. "Further research on young driver attitudes and culture-based behaviours along with the effectiveness of legislative, promotional and educational influences will benefit our understanding of the factors associated with young and novice driver crash involvement and risk." Driver fitness to drive with a greater focus on the functional outcome; improved roads and auditing; risk-based insurance; improved data and research; effective punishment; better access to rehabilitation; and alternative transport options are the other recommendations of the study. The article can be read at https://www.qscience.com/content/journals/10.5339/jemtac.2022.4    

The Indian embassy has been awarded a piece of land to build its own building in West Bay, the Indian ambassador said Wednesday. Speaking at the 73rd Republic Day celebrations, Dr Deepak Mittal said: “It is a matter of pride that the Government of Qatar has allocated a plot for us to construct our own embassy building. We hope to complete a spacious embassy building, which is our home away from home in the coming years. We hope to develop it with all the facilities as our new home for every Indian here in Qatar. I look forward to your support and we can have better facilities and bigger capacity to accommodate more fellow citizens to celebrate events such as this.” Dr Mittal told Gulf Times that “we have been allotted the land at the Diplomatic Enclave in West Bay. We have started the process of designing the building. We hope to complete the construction soon and have a permanent structure.” ______________________________ Read Also: Indians mark 73rd Republic Day with patriotic fervour ______________________________ The Indian envoy also said in an effort to involve more community members in the Republic Day and Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, several activities will be held and as many members and sections of the community in Qatar will join in the celebrations. “We plan to visit maximum number of labour camps possible during the weekends and involve the community members in the celebrations. Depending on the free time of workers and following the Covid protocols, we will visit them and extend the Republic Day celebrations as well as Azadi Ki Amrit Mahotsav.” Dr Mittal also highlighted the efforts of the embassy to reach out to every Indian in Qatar through online platforms. “We have launched the 'India in Qatar' app on Android and iOS platforms so that every Indian can contact the embassy 24/7. This has enabled the community members to get in touch with the embassy at their own convenience and get their grievances or issues solved or redressed. This can help the community to get any of the services of the embassy as well as any other emergency needs. Our effort is to reach back to the persons concerned within 24 hours to consult and solve any issues raised by any Indian national,” he said. “We launched a call centre last year, which is Pravasi Baharatiya Sahayata Kendra here in Qatar. This is available in three languages and our effort this year would be to expand it further to more Indian languages to make it more robust and into 24/7. It will make sure that for any service or assistance we are just a phone call away,” added the ambassador.