Queen Mary University at centre of Government’s ‘Future Framework’ for UK-Qatar relations

This includes the UK-Qatar Genomics Research Collaborative between Queen Mary University and Sidra Hospital. The collaboration will drive precision medicine with long-term patient benefit for people in both the UK and Qatar and the proposed UK-Qatar Precision Healthcare Academy will train the next generation of clinicians, scientists and counsellors.

Another collaboration, led by Queen Mary University of London in partnership with Hamad bin Khalifa University in Qatar, aims to establish a roadmap for UK-Qatar collaboration on Artificial Intelligence (AI). 

This project, which is a UK / Qatar joint AI research commission and builds on both countries experience and expertise in AI, will identify and scope practical ways for the UK and Qatar to enhance their cooperation in the field, in line with their AI and technology strategies. A range of areas will be explored across the spectrum of ecosystem development, policy and regulation, security, and international engagement.

Professor Colin Bailey, President and Principal of Queen Mary University of London said: “We are proud and honoured to be embarking on this collaboration with Hamad bin Khalifa University in Qatar. Queen Mary University has a long history of building strong, successful international collaborations, and of being at the forefront of emerging research and technology. This new partnership will allow both universities to combine their collective knowledge and strengths to ensure AI technology is used in the best, safest way possible.”

The project been designed and developed as a collaboration between Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the AI Committee of the Qatar Ministry of Communications & Information Technology, Qatar Research, Development and Innovation Council, and the British Embassy in Doha. Announcement of the collaboration, which is funded by the UK Government’s Gulf Strategy Fund, part of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s (FCDO) International Programme, coincides with the State Visit of the Amir of Qatar to the UK.

Neerav Patel, British Ambassador to Qatar, said: “The UK and Qatar have shown themselves to be trailblazers in AI innovation and policy, whilst mindful of the need to build strong systems of ethics and governance. I’m delighted that such prestigious UK and Qatari institutions are involved in this important initiative. It reflects both countries’ desire to work together on the shared challenges the 21^st century will bring.”

Professor David Leslie Professor of Ethics, Technology, and Society at Queen Mary’s Digital Environment Research Institute, and the Director of Ethics and Responsible Innovation Research at the Alan Turing Institute said: “We are undoubtedly at a pivotal juncture in the history of AI, so the time couldn’t be better to bring the UK and Qatar closer together to explore collaborative avenues for harnessing AI’s transformative potential to deliver public benefit, while diligently addressing emerging risks and harms. By leveraging the dynamic AI research and innovation ecosystems of both nations, this initiative promises to be a catalyst for ingenuity and commercial opportunity, fostering a new era of technological cooperation between two global leaders in the field.”