Faculty at the College of Science and Engineering (CSE) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) have been awarded two substantial three-year research grants under the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF)-TÜBİTAK Joint Funding Program. The competitive third cycle of the program was held under the theme of ‘Smart Cities’.

HBKU’s Dr. Marwa Qaraqe, Lead Principal Investigator, and Dr. David Yang, Principal Investigator, both Assistant Professors at the Information and Technology Computing Division at CSE, with faculty from Texas A&M at Qatar (TAMUQ) as principal investigators, were awarded a grant for "Intelligent Public Safety Platform for Smart Cities”. The value of the grant is estimated at $825,000 for the Qatar team and $592,000 for Gebze Technical University and Ozyegin University, as Turkish collaborators. 

The second awarded QNRF-TÜBİTAK project was to HBKU Principal Investigators Dr. Aiman Erbad and Dr. Saif Al Kuwari, Associate Professors at CSE, for their project “SkyCubesNet: A Ka-band Cubesat based Communications Infrastructure for Smart Cities of the Future”. Dr. Tamer Khattab, Professor of electrical engineering at Qatar University, is the Lead Principal Investigator. The award comprises $600,000 for Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University, Turkey, and $750,000 for the Qatar team, with co-funding to be provided by local stakeholders, Barzan Holdings and the Ministry of Interior.

QNRF, a member of Qatar Foundation, established the program with TÜBİTAK, the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey, in 2015. The awards benefit joint research and development projects in areas of mutual interest and intensify cooperation between Turkish and Qatari entities in science and industry through academia and industry cooperation. 

Dr. Mounir Hamdi, Founding Dean, CSE, said: “We are more than honored for our faculty at CSE to be recognized through support from the Qatar National Research Fund-TÜBİTAK program. The grants address major research issues of priority to HBKU and Qatar Foundation, as well as Qatar’s efforts to advance its smart cities with their role in actualizing the country’s developmental agenda. It is our hope that the two projects will drive innovation and encourage emerging startups in this area. Leveraging the innovative potential of the shared expertise of our research partners from Turkey, the outcomes are certain to ensure unique contributions toward cutting-edge solutions that meet the needs of Qatar and have an impact further afield.”

For more information on the work of the College of Science and Engineering, please visit cse.hbku.edu.qa