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The Horizon Hub Workshop Series (HHWS), launched by the Office of the Vice President for Research, provides a collaborative platform for researchers, academics, and thought leaders to come together and engage in collaborative dialogue around critical research topics shaping the future. This initiative goes beyond discussion, aiming to generate tangible outcomes and research agendas that contribute to advancing knowledge and societal impact.
The workshop topics must be strategically aligned with Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s research priorities, with a particular emphasis on considering both local and global contexts. Topics/events that involve strong interdisciplinary engagement and collaboration by a minimum of two HBKU entities. This program aims to foster connections between researchers in Qatar and their regional and international peers, offering exposure to new research directions, methodologies, and discoveries. The events must be held within Qatar.
A key objective of the series is the engagement with Qatar’s governmental entities and national enterprises to identify new R&D initiatives, support knowledge transfer, policy development and to strengthen national research capacity.
Program Objectives
Foster strategic research connections between HBKU researchers, international experts, and research institutions in Qatar and beyond, to promote meaningful collaboration and knowledge exchange.
Expose HBKU researchers to emerging research topics, and cutting-edge research ideas, findings and techniques, best practices, enabling the development of tangible and concrete agendas that contribute to advancing the field of research.
Sponsor research and innovation-driven events that address national priorities, foster engagement with governmental entities and national enterprises, and support HBKU’s and QF’s strategic research goals.
Priority Focus Areas
Priority will be given to events that directly engage with HBKU’s five flagship research areas, which reflect emerging national and global priorities:
- AI and Applications
- Sustainable and Resilient Arid Cities
- Autism: Causes, Diagnosis, and Intervention
- Islamic Ethics: From Social Cohesion to Global Challenges
- Global Transformation: Future of Governance
Program Cycles
1st Cycle - 2025 (Applications Closed)
- Event Formats: Workshops, Conferences
- Budget: Up to QAR 200,000
- Application Submission Deadline: 15 Aug 2025
Event Dates: Within 6 months of funding
Important Documents:
2nd Cycle - 2026 (Call for Applications)
- Formats: Workshops, Symposia
- Budget: Up to QAR 150,000
- Application Submission Deadline: 1 Sep 2026
Event Dates: between Sep 2026 and Mar 2027
Important Documents:
Awardees
| Event Title | LPI | Home Entity | Date | PIs | Primary Theme |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Frontiers in Corporate Governance Law and Policymaking: Sustainability, Artificial Intelligence and Geopolitics | Dr. Kehinde Folake Olaoye | CL | 17 January 2027 | Ahmed Al Sulaiti Dalal Aassouli Mohammad A Al-Saidi Damilola S. Olawuyi | Global Transformation |
| Q-AgriTwin MENA: AI and Digital Twins for Climate-Resilient Agriculture in Qatar and MENA | Dr. Mohammad Azizur Rahman | CSE | TBD | Ala Al-Fuqaha Amine Bermak Sa’d Abdel-Halim Shannak Ferda Ofli Farhat Mahmood | Sustainable & Resilient Arid Cities |
| Navigating the Future: Integrating AI into the Shariah Governance of Islamic Finance Institutions | Dr. Nasim S. Shirazi | CIS | 27 January 2027 | Ahmet F. Aysan Ozcan Ozturk Hasan Kurban Khaled M. Al-Kuwari Muslehuddin Musab Mohammed | Global Transformation |
| Closing the Loop: Agents, Infrastructure, and Evidence in AI-Driven Science | Dr. Hasan Kurban | CSE | 20 January 2027 | Sanjay Chawla Othmane Bouhali Kabir Hassan Biswas Atef Zekri | AI & Applications |
| UCOOL - Urban Scale Solutions for Cooling Arid Cities | Dr. Mohammedrami Alfarra | QEERI | 03 February 2027 | Azzam Abu-Rayash Esmat Zaidan Brahim Aissa Omer Abedrabboh | Sustainable & Resilient Arid Cities |
| Event Title | LPI | Home Entity | Date | PIs | Primary Theme |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qatar’s First Global Humanitarian and Development Finance Summit: Scaling up Impact for Localized Solutions | Dalal Aassouli | CIS | 07 December 2026 | Georgios Dimitropoulos CL | Gen AI Islamic Ethics Global Transformation |
| Re-Defining Resilient Data Center in Arid Regions | Abdlmonem Beitelmal | QEERI | 03 December 2025 | Ala Al Fuqaha Othmane Bouhali Mohamed Elhindi Sertac Bayhan | Sustainable & Resilient Arid Cities |
| The Role of Data Storytelling and Generative AI in Progressive Education | Evren Tok | CPP | 08 February 2026 | Asmaa Al Fadalaa Esmat Zaidan Bernard Jansen Mehdi Riazi | Gen AI |
| International Annual TradeLab Conference 2026: Industrial Policy and the New Internationalism – How States Reassert their Power to Achieve the Twin Digital and Climate Transition | Georgios Dimitropoulos | CL | 11 February 2026 | Alexandros Bakos Evren Tok Emmanouil Chatzikonstantinou | Global Transformation |
| The role of AI in Strengthening the Resilience of Future Power Systems | Haitham Abu Rub | CSE | 02 December 2025 | Sertac Bayhan Ali Ghrayeb Selma Awadallah Mohamed El Shrif Esmat Zaidan | Gen AI ustainable & Resilient Arid Cities |
| Smart Manufacturing for Precision Medicine: Bridging Design, Materials, and Production in Qatar | Marwan Khraisheh | CSE | 28 January 2026 | Mohammed Al Bakri Brahim Aissa Noor Al Maslamani Marwa Qaraqe Dena Al Thani Said Ismail | Precision Medicine Gen AI Sustainable & Resilient Arid Cities |
| 1st international Workshop on Biomimicry: Lessons from Nature for Sustainable Materials Design | El Tayeb Bentria | QEERI | 15 February 2026 | Sanjay Chawla Brahim Aissa Amine Habboub | Gen AI Sustainable & Resilient Arid Cities |
| AI4Science | Sanjay Chawla | QCRI | 21 January 2026 | Othmane Bouhali Kabir Biswas Hasan Kurban Atef Zekri | Gen AI |