QNRF, Difi announce recipients of fourth cycle of Osra Grant

Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) and Doha International Family Institute (Difi) – both members of Qatar Foundation – have awarded grants to seven research proposals under the 4th cycle of their jointly funded programme ‘Osra’.

Osra, the Arabic word for ‘family’, is a QNRF-Difi joint initiative designed to promote research on issues related to the Arab family. It supports the development of comparative and evidence-based policies and programmes aimed at promoting the preservation of the Arab family unit, as well as offering analysis to help alleviate the problems they face. Funding for the 4th cycle of Osra has been awarded to researchers from Qatar, Palestine, Lebanon, the US, and UK. Topics include exploring marriage and the family structure in the context of political conflict and migration in the Arab World, as well as fatherhood, adolescent substance abuse, and factors of marriage delay.To broaden the existing knowledge-base on Arab families, QNRF and Difi encourage researchers from around the world to conduct empirical research that contributes to the development of evidence-based policies relating to family cohesion, marriage and divorce, families at risk, parenthood, and relevant social policy research. Dr Abdul Sattar al-Taie, executive director QNRF, said, “We are delighted to see that Osra has garnered an increasing interest from researchers globally over the years. Through this programme, we aim to engage scholars, researchers, and policymakers in a holistic and comprehensive discussion pertaining to the contemporary challenges faced by the Arab family, as well as support the formulation of strategies and policies to address these challenges effectively.” Dr Sharifa al-Emadi, executive director, Difi, said, “This year we received a number of interesting and relevant proposals touching on important issues related to the Arab family, which will help us to delve into some of the pressing issues the family unit is facing in our region today. In return, this knowledge will help us identify realistic solutions for the benefit of every family, and to ensure their happiness and well-being.” The call for proposals, launched in January this year, received strong interest from local, regional, and international academic research institutions. The applications were subjected to a rigorous evaluation process, which assessed them for their competitiveness based on scientific and programmatic review.