Doha, Qatar: Qatar Research, Development, and Innovation (QRDI) Council and Qatar Airways signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the second day of the Qatar Economic Forum, aimed at accelerating innovation in aviation, transport, and logistics, while enhancing Qatar’s global competitiveness in these critical sectors.
The agreement was formally signed by Omar Al Ansari, Secretary General of the QRDI Council, and Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, Group Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Airways, marking an important step in fostering impactful collaboration between two of Qatar’s leading entities.
Omar Al Ansari, Secretary General of QRDI Council, stated: “Today marks a pivotal milestone as QRDI and Qatar Airways Group come together in a first-of-its-kind strategic partnership to drive cutting-edge innovation—positioning both Qatar Airways and our nation at the forefront of global competitiveness in aviation and mobility.
This MoU establishes a strong foundation for Qatar to emerge as a global hub for transformative innovation. Through this collaboration, we aim to attract world-leading partners, accelerate the deployment of high-impact technologies, and elevate national innovation clusters to global prominence—contributing meaningfully to the goals outlined in the Third National Development Strategy (NDS3).”
Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, Group CEO of Qatar Airways commented: “Qatar Airways Group’s has consistently been recognized as an innovation leader, with a strong commitment for redefining the benchmarks of excellence in the aviation industry. This partnership represents a strategic cornerstone in our diverse and vibrant innovation partner ecosystem. It will accelerate our digital transformation, putting us even further ahead of our competition and making us even more synonymous with keeping innovation at the heart of whatever we do at Qatar Airways.
This MoU creates a transformative opportunity to contribute towards elevating the nation’s position on the global innovation index and firmly establishing the State of Qatar as the preferred global hub of the Aviation Tech industry by providing fertile ground to develop, test and scale innovative next-generation solutions.”
The MoU establishes a structured and phased approach to collaboration, focusing on the development of an innovation cluster around the aviation, transport, and logistics sectors. The strategic framework includes transformational innovation, challenge-driven initiatives, and the integration of artificial intelligence and digital innovation as key enablers for future projects.
The partnership also aims to ensure strategic alignment with the objectives of Qatar’s Third National Development Strategy (NDS3), with a focus on strengthening priority industries, fostering local innovation, and contributing to sustainable economic growth through targeted investments, funding, and innovation policies.
This agreement represents a significant milestone in both organizations’ commitment to placing innovation at the core of national development and ultimately aims to elevate Qatar’s position in the global innovation index.
Having this partnership solidified at the Qatar Economic Forum reinforces its strategic importance and reflects a shared vision to drive Qatar’s innovation-led future on a global scale.
About QRDI Council
QRDI Council is a government entity with the mission to support research, development and innovation (RDI) activities as well as to develop RDI talent in Qatar. The Council strives to make Qatar a top destination for global talent and a pioneering research, innovation, and development hub with its motto “locally empowered, globally connected”. Playing a pivotal role within the Qatar National Development Strategy, the QRDI Council is actively shaping the Innovation component of the Economic Diversification goal. The Council’s commitment underlines its unwavering dedication to the Qatar National Vision 2030. QRDI Council aims to make Qatar a global innovation hub and a top choice for R&D centers worldwide, seeing RDI as vital for Qatar’s growth and prosperity. To delve deeper into QRDI Council’s endeavors and vision:
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About Qatar Airways
A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways won the ‘World’s Best Airline’ for the unprecedented eighth time at the 2024 World Airline Awards, managed by the international air transport rating organisation, Skytrax. Qatar Airways has been the World’s Best Airline in 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2024. The airline continues to be synonymous with excellence, also taking home, ‘World’s Best Business Class’, ‘World’s Best Business Class Airline Lounge’, and ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’. As leaders in industry innovation and digital adoption, Qatar Airways was also recently voted the ‘World’s Best Airline Website’ by World Travel Tech Awards. Qatar Airways currently flies to over 170 destinations worldwide.
