SCIENTIFIC AND ACADEMIC COOPERATION
The scientific and academic cooperation between Italy and Qatar looks back on a long history, which has been further consolidated by two Memorandum of Understanding in 2006 and 2012, between the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research, and Qatar Foundation. These agreements aim to strengthen the relations between the universities and other research centers of the two countries. In this framework, several collaborative projects have been launched between the Qatar Foundation and the Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP) on the one hand, and several Italian university institutions, research centers, and science and technology parks on the other, focusing mainly on the medical and biomedical sectors. Italy and Qatar share common interests, especially in the sectors of energy and environment, aviation, health and biotechnologies, telecommunications, media, and digital media.
The bilateral agreement signed in Rome in 2012 regarding education, university, and research has been ratified by the Italian parliament in 2020 and has initiated many exchanges and visits by experts, student delegations, and school and sports groups. Moreover, the agreement foresees the promotion of the language of the other Party, efforts to foster academic cooperation and faculty agreements, and the organization of periodic meetings of representatives of the two countries to realize common goals and stimulate joint research in science and technology.
The centers of medical and scientific research in the biomedical sector in Qatar are Sidra Medicine and Hamad Medical Corporation, whereas Hamad bin Khalifa University, which is part of Qatar Foundation, covers many sectors, from precision medicine to computer science. These facilities host several Italian researchers whose expertise is particularly appreciated.
Joint scientific research between Italy and Qatar takes place primarily within local centers of excellence, such as Sidra Medicine and QERII, where several Italian researchers operate, and has also been conducted within the framework of Covid-19 research. In this context, noteworthy is the project developed by the Qatar Genome Programme (part of Qatar Foundation) in April 2020, in cooperation with the universities of Rome Tor Vergata and Trieste, aimed at studying the genetic factors that could influence the different impact that Covid-19 had on infected individuals. A bilateral research project in this area was also conducted during the same period by Hamad Medical Corporation and Mater Olbia.
In the field of environmental cooperation, Italy participated in Expo Doha 2023, the first horticultural Expo in the Middle East, which took place in the Qatari capital from October 2nd, 2023, to March 28th, 2024. Italy’s participation in the event was of significant relevance as it demonstrated the strong collaboration between the two Countries in sustainability, food security, and the fight against desertification, through the construction of a technologically advanced pavilion.
Lastly, at the beginning of September 2024, the experience of 20 students from Qatar University studying medicine, physiotherapy, and biotechnology at ‘Mater Olbia’ Hospital, an excellent healthcare center in Sardinia, successfully concluded. This was the result of the fruitful collaboration that began in 2018 with Qatar Foundation Endowment and the Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic.