Qatar
The Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) announced the first winners of its $25 million in research awards. A component of Qatar’s efforts to improve the profile of its research in the international community and to increase its research-to-R&D spending percentage, the National Research Priorities Program (NPRP) funds projects for three years. A total of $10 million will be awarded during the first year. One project will help to create a Middle East research consortium with the Center of Biotechnology in Sfax, Tunisia. Other awardees include projects for improving petroleum technologies and the use of water resources, studying genetic disorders and creating advanced polymers. Source: SciDev