QFIRST 2007 is organized under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation for Education Science and Community Development.

Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development

Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development is a private, non-profit organization established in 1995 by His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani. Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al Missned is the chairperson of Qatar Foundation and personally guides the organization’s direction and programs. Qatar Foundation’s mission is to prepare the people of Qatar and the region to meet the challenges of an ever-changing world, and to make Qatar a leader in innovative education and research.

To achieve its mission, Qatar Foundation supports a network of centers and partnerships with elite institutions, all committed to the principle that a nation’s greatest natural resource is its people. The majority of these centers and partners are situated in Education City, Qatar Foundation’s flagship project.

Located on the outskirts of Doha, Education City covers 14 million square meters and houses educational facilities from school age to research level and branch campuses of some of the world's leading universities. Education City aims to be the hub of educational excellence, instructing students in fields of critical importance to the GCC region. Education City is also conceived of as a forum, where world-renowned universities share research and facilities, not only with each other but also by forging relationships with businesses and institutions in public and private sectors.

For more information please visit www.qf.org.qa

Qatar National Research Fund

Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) was established in 2006 to administer funding for original, competitively selected research in engineering and technology, physical and life sciences, medicine, humanities, social sciences and the arts.

QNRF play a vital role in the development of Qatar's knowledge-based economy: by providing financial support to researchers, from students to professionals, in the private, public and academic sectors, they seek to advance knowledge and education at a national, regional and international level. Further, as part of their overall strategy QNRF aim to foster collaborations within academia and through public private partnership inside and outside of Qatar.

Qatar Foundation envisions research as a catalyst for expanding and diversifying a country's economy; enhancing the education and well-being of its citizens and the training and development of its workforce. QNRF actively seeks internationally recognized researchers to study topics of regional and global importance; however it is primarily dedicated to funding research in the national interest and fostering improvements in the health, environment and security for the people of Qatar and the region.

For more information please visit www.qnrf.org