Qatar University (QU) announced that it will host the Gulf-wide "Three-Minute Thesis (3MT)" competition, sponsored by ConocoPhillips. The event, the first of its kind in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, will take place on Thursday, November 28, at the QU campus. The competition will feature graduate students from various higher education institutions across the GCC.
Participating alongside QU are several prominent universities, including King Abdulaziz University, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Khalifa University, the American University of Sharjah, Kuwait University, Sultan Qaboos University, the University of Bahrain, and the Qatar Finance and Business Academy (QFBA) in partnership with Northumbria University.
In his speech, Prof. Aiman Mahmoud Erbad, QU's Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies, stated, “Since 2019, QU has successfully organized this competition at the national level. This year, the event has expanded to the Gulf level, with participation from nine GCC educational institutions and a significant increase in student involvement."
Prof. Erbad emphasized that the competition aims to provide students with an opportunity to present their research ideas clearly and concisely to a broad audience, fostering collaboration among GCC higher education institutions. This initiative aligns with the shared objectives of Gulf nations to advance knowledge and elevate scientific research standards. Prof. Erbad also highlighted the diversity of academic fields represented in this year's competition, which spans humanities, social sciences, and other scientific disciplines.
Prof. Ahmad Al-own, Dean of Graduate Studies at QU, remarked on the significance of the Gulf-wide competition, saying, “This inaugural GCC edition seeks to create a unified graduate studies community that encourages the exchange of ideas and expertise while promoting research excellence at national, regional, and global levels. The competition will showcase the exceptional research capabilities of graduate students across the Gulf."
Prof. Al-own added, “The competition started as a local initiative and has now expanded to the Gulf level. Future plans include collaborating with the University of Queensland, the originator of this competition, to extend it to the Arab and global stages."
The Gulf 3MT competition is part of a broader initiative to advance graduate research in Qatar and the Gulf while enhancing public appreciation for outstanding student research across various disciplines.