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 HBKU research priorities, with a particular emphasis on considering both local and global contexts. Topics/events that involve strong interdisciplinary engagement and collaboration by at least two HBKU entities are highly preferred. 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.

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.

The HHWS supports two event formats:

  • Workshops: Interactive, topic-focused sessions that bring together a select group of participants to explore emerging research areas, share methodologies, and develop actionable outcomes in key domains that fit with HBKU’s research strategy (for example: pursue new research partnerships, jointly pursue funding opportunities, define mechanisms to exchange knowledge and expertise after the workshop, etc.)
  • Conferences: Larger-scale events that convene national and international researchers, industry players, policy stakeholders, and experts to present research findings, exchange ideas, and foster broader research engagement.

These events must be held within Qatar.

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.

Focus Areas

The Horizon Hub Workshop Series focuses on supporting research events that address important challenges in alignment with HBKU’s and QF’s research themes, which include:

  • Precision Medicine
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Progressive Education
  • Sustainability
  • Social Progress

 

Priority will be given to events that directly engage with HBKU’s five signature research areas, which reflect emerging national and global priorities:

  • Generative 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

Hence, events/workshops should focus on a specific emerging topic aligned with the above research areas and generic events/workshops with a very broad focus should be avoided.

 

Important Documents

Guidelines
Agenda Template
Application Form