Facilitating implementation and safety of critical infrastructure in country

Facilitating implementation and safety of critical infrastructure in country

The ambition of Qatar Foundation and those planning Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) were evident from the start, to create a world class research university that could compete not just in the region but across the world, observed provost Dr Michael Benedik, who joined earlier this year, the 10th anniversary.

"Many of those looking in from the outside lauded the ambition but some were skeptical of the reality. It is clear that they were wrong, which is why I chose to join," he pointed out.

"HBKU is one of the major drivers of basic research in the country, but concurrently it has become the hub of translational research in the broadest sense, taking what is known and done in academia and making it useful through startups, interactions with government and business, and facilitating the implementation and safety of critical infrastructure throughout the country. Added to that are the 35 academic programmes that have helped over a thousand alumni advance their careers or create new careers for themselves. The majority of these remain in Qatar.

Dr Benedik is of the view that HBKU has in fact achieved the initial dreams for what it should be. "But over the next 10 years