Georgetown SFSQ Roundtable Brings Together British and Qatari Education Partners

The British Minister for Universities and Science, David Willetts, recently concluded a visit to Education City where he took part in a research roundtable organized by the British Council and hosted by the Georgetown School of Foreign Service in Qatar (SFSQ). Officials at the high level meeting representing educational institutions from across the UK gathered at the SFSQ campus to meet with representatives of Education City universities and other prominent Qatar Foundation organizations to discuss the future possibilities of collaboration between the two countries.

The representatives of British universities posed questions concerning ideas for collaboration between their respective institutions. Identifying aligned interests for future cooperation, they asked about the priorities Qatari institutions were pursuing, in order for the visiting UK contingent to be able to disseminate those ideas with their schools, as well as with other potential partners in the UK.

The focus of the brainstorming session did not include plans for new branch universities to be added to Education City, but revolved around student exchange programs, joint research initiatives, and other mechanisms of cooperation. The dean of SFSQ, Gerd Nonneman, stressed that through future programs, “we hope to have an impact on the local community, as well as the region, and beyond, through collaborative efforts in research and education through these partnerships and program linkages.”

The meeting concluded with plans for further engagement and discussion between the two countries’ institutions. Mr. Martin Hope, director of the British Council Qatar, which co-hosted the roundtable at SFSQ, said “the visit by the delegation was very positive. We have agreed to have working groups of experts that will come together to map the potential opportunities between Qatar and the UK at different levels of education as we move forward.”

The British Minister for Universities and Science, David Willetts, reflected on his impression of his trip to the region, and the Georgetown round table, noting that “the ambitious plans of Qatar and its National Vision of 2030 is very impressive. There is clearly a lot of investment made in the areas of education and research. I hope in the future, our universities can contribute to this ambitious plan and vision in the spirit of partnership.”