SCENESETTER: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ENGAGEMENT IN

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

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(SBU) KEY POINTS
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-- 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.

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(SBU) COMMENT
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-- 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
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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
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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),

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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
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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

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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
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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