Qatar Foundation | About
Vision
Through education and research, Qatar Foundation leads human, social, and economic development of Qatar; making Qatar a nation that can be a vanguard for productive change in the region and a role model for the broader international community.
Mission
Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development is a private, non-profit organization that serves the people of Qatar by supporting and operating programs in three core mission areas: education, science and research, and community development. The Foundation strives to nurture the future leaders of Qatar. By example and by sharing its experience, the Foundation also contributes to human development nationally, regionally, and internationally. In all of its activities, the Foundation promotes a culture of excellence in Qatar and furthers its role in supporting an innovative and open society that aspires to develop sustainable human capacity, social, and economic prosperity for a knowledge-based economy.
The Dream
“The new world educational system recognizes that education is a universal right and hence enables students wherever they might be to have access to the means of innovation, creativity, acquisition of knowledge and expertise and the practice of responsibility.”
His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Father Amir
Early in 1995, His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Father Amir, shared a vision with Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser while sitting under a tent at Umm Qrayba farm. Together, they conceived a plan for the future development of their country that would provide Qatari citizens with a greater choice in education, health and social progress than ever before. They then set about turning this dream into reality and, in August that year, founded Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, right in the very heart of Qatar.
Qatar Foundation’s wise and esteemed Board of Trustees advises and counsels the Foundation with their superior insights, skills and expertise across a wide range of disciplines.
Qatar Foundation’s accomplished Board of Directors, which is drawn from a broad and experienced knowledge base, actively oversees the Foundation's mission to help Qatar become a standard-setting knowledge economy.
Qatar Foundation’s leadership team employs a knowledgeable and inspirational range of management capabilities to guide the Foundation in meeting a high standard of excellence as it helps Qatar become a leading knowledge economy.
The Sidra Tree Story
Reaching upwards towards perfection.
“The Sidra tree, growing strong and proud in the harshest of environments, has been a symbol of perseverance and nourishment across the borders of the Arab world. What is the significance of this glorious tree? With its roots bound in the soil of this world and its branches reaching upwards toward perfection, it is a symbol of solidarity and determination; it reminds us that the goals of this world are not incompatible with the goals of the spirit.”
Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser
Qatar Foundation Chairperson, 13 October 2003.
Qatar Foundation’s logo is the Sidra tree (Ziziphus spina-christi) which is native to Qatar and flourishes in the harsh and arid climate. It grows in the wild and can be found throughout the country, especially in northern and central Qatar.
QF consists of around 50 centers and the branches of the Sidra tree represent the diversity of QF today. The leaves, flowers and fruits equate to the individual lives that the tree nourishes, with the fruits going on to produce seeds that guarantee sustainability and a healthy future.
The Sidra tree’s deep roots are seen as a strong anchor, connecting contemporary learning and growth with the country's culture and heritage.
Poets, scholars and travelers would traditionally gather in the shade of the Sidra’s spreading branches to meet and talk. This aspect of the Sidra tree’s role is reflected in QF’s commitment to education and community development.
As well as being a naturally comfortable and convenient place at which to gather and exchange knowledge and opinions, it is also a very healthy location. The tree's fruit, flowers and leaves provide the ingredients for many traditional medicines, which reflects QF’s science and research objectives.
The Sidra tree is perhaps the most prominent tree in Qatar and it means many different things to many different people. It certainly occupies a special position in the hearts of the Qatari people, which is why it is the perfect symbol for the vision and mission of QF today.
2030 Vision
Qatar National Vision 2030 was published in July 2008. It outlines how Qatar will use the vast revenues from its substantial hydrocarbon resources to transform itself into a modern knowledge-based economy.
The people of Qatar are key to achieving this aim, and the plan places developing human resources as the main priority for the next 15 years.
National Vision 2030 gave QF an exciting mandate. It is to be the ‘engine’ driving the development of Qatar’s people, with the headline aim of ‘Unlocking Human Potential’.