Qatar National Research Fund recently announced the launch of the 5th cycle of its outstanding international research funding initiative, the National Priorities Research Program (NPRP).

Professor Hatem El-Shanti is the Managing Director of Shafallah Medical Genetics Center (SMGC) in Doha, Qatar. As a paediatrician and clinical geneticist, he has a particular interest in the biological mechanisms behind genetic disorders and birth defects in humans. His aim, with QNRF's help, is to make Shafallah a hub for molecular genetic research in human disease in Qatar and beyond.

The Biannual National Research Survey (BNRS) was set up as a national database of Qatari research designed to promote awareness of the areas of research undertaken in Qatar, as well as to provide a corpus of knowledge to be used by future researchers. It has also proved to be a valuable way of selling and promoting Qatar's investment in research to potential international collaborators.

An initiative to support scientific research meetings in Qatar is being promoted to researchers by QNRF. The Conferences and Workshops Sponsorship Program (CWSP) aims to build a world class research culture in Qatar and put the state firmly on the academic conference map.

QNRF announced the winners of the third Undergraduate Research Experience Program (UREP) Competition at a ceremony in the Qatar Foundation Student Center on March 21st.

QNRF recently announced that it is partnering with Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP) to launch the Intellectual Property Management project. The aim of the joint project is to evaluate and govern potential intellectual property emanating from QNRF sponsored research in Qatar.

QNRF announced at its Third Annual Forum, that 145 projects will be supported over the coming years through the fourth cycle of the National Priorities Research Program (NPRP), the flagship funding program designed to foster a research culture in Qatar. The successful programs will share US$121 million between them and cover such diverse areas as natural sciences, engineering and technology, medical and health science, agriculture, social science and humanities.

A unique partnership between researchers in Finland and Qatar is aiming to make the cultivation of desert truffles a sustainable ecological and agricultural concern for the region. The work, funded by QNRF, brings together Dr. Asmaa Al-Qaradawi of Aquamed Research and Education in Doha and Dr. Salem Shamekh, Director of the Juva Truffle Center in Finland. Dr. Shamekh had shown that it is possible to cultivate and farm European truffles in Finland, despite the country's harsh winters. He is now hoping, along with Dr. Al-Qaradawi, that his expertise can also be applied to desert environments.

Respiratory tract infections are the second-leading cause of death, worldwide, for children under five years of age. Given that statistic it is remarkable that until recently we had very little information on what viral agent was causing these infections in over half of all cases. However work carried at Hamad Medical Corporation and Qatar University suggests that a previously unknown pathogen, known as human metapneumovirus (hMPV), may be responsible for infection in a substantial proportion of cases.

Since the introduction of television and other forms of mass communication, such as the internet, concerns have been raised throughout the world for their impact on people's lifestyles. Of particular concern has been the influence of such technologies on the lives of vulnerable groups such as children. It has been shown in numerous studies that time spent by children at TV/computer screens, in association with sedentary lifestyle habits, greatly increases the risk of obesity. However, very little work has been done on the impact of this phenomenon on low vision.

  Ongoing work at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q) is investigating how intracellular calcium (Ca2+) signaling pathways are involved in the very beginning of life as they prepare the egg for fertilization and the initiation of embryogenesis. The National Priorities Research Program-funded work also has wider implications. Since all cells use Ca2+ signals, these studies could impact the treatment of various pathological conditions including infertility, hypertension, and cancer.

Much evaluation and reviewing of applications took place between the opening of the fourth cycle in September 2010 and the announcement of the funded projects in May 2011. QNRF received more than 1,400 Letters of Intent, of which 695 were converted into proposals, vetted by the Qatari submitting institutions and then screened for compliance by QNRF. After passing screening the remaining 631, now competing for funding, were sent for international peer review. With five experts evaluating each proposal, around 3,000 reviews were received and, after extensive statistical analysis of the scores, 145 projects were successful.