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VCUarts Qatar is committed to creating a mentoring environment for faculty through educational and training opportunities, thereby aligning with the overarching goals of VCU QUEST 2028. Over the past three years, VCUarts Qatar faculty have actively engaged in a diverse array of workshops and training sessions facilitated by the institution. These workshops encompassed a wide range of topics, including grant writing, grant proposal development, integrating creative research within higher education, and recognizing, articulating, and enhancing the potential impacts of their work. Moreover, VCUarts Qatar is continuously working towards organizing forthcoming workshops and fostering interdisciplinary collaborations to enrich the professional development of its faculty.

VCU, OVPRI Internal Funding Programs

Fikria El Kauakibi, Assistant Director of Research, VCUarts Qatar

This session presents and discusses the current internal funding opportunities available through VCU including the QUEST, the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Fund, and the Breakthroughs Fund.

More information here.

VCU Publishing Platform: Scholars Compass

Mike Wirtz, Head of Research, and Library Technology, VCUarts Qatar

Scholars Compass is a publishing platform for the intellectual output of VCU’s academic, research, and administrative communities. The session introduces the faculty to the resource and learn how it can support research, teaching, and administrative activities.

More information here.

Arab Funds for arts and Culture (AFAC) funding opportunities

Soleil Gharbieh and Cathy Khattar, Grants Managers, AFAC

The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC) is an independent foundation that supports individual artists, writers, researchers, intellectuals, as well as organizations from the Arab region working in the field of arts and culture. This session introduces available funding, mentorship, and training opportunities.

More information here.

QRDI Funding Programs

Riham Daher, Director of Programs Administration, QRDI

This session presents and discusses the current funding opportunities available through QRDI including the Academic Research Grant (ARG), the Conference and Workshop Sponsorship Program (CWSP), and the Undergraduate Research Experience Program (UREP).

More information here.

QRDI Portal

Haytham Ali, Director of Collaboration Platforms, QRDI

QRDI Portal is a national platform that provides a quick and easy means to navigate the resources, capabilities, and infrastructure present in Qatar’s innovation and research ecosystem. This session serves as an introduction to the resource and showcases how it can be accessed and used in support of faculty research ambitions.

More information here.

QF Scholars

Fikria El Kauakibi, Assistant Director of Research, VCUarts Qatar

QF Scholars is an online platform that connects and supports researchers exploring collaborative opportunities for 
interdisciplinary engagements across Qatar Foundation Partner Universities, Centers, and Institutes. The session introduces the faculty to the resource and learn how it can support multiversity initiatives across research, teaching, and service within The Qatar Foundation.

QNL Repository: Manara

Dr. Alwaleed Alkhaja, Head of Open Access and Copyright, QRDI

Manara is an open repository for Qatar-based researchers to upload and share their research. It collects, preserves, and provides access to a variety of research outputs, including datasets, open-access publications, pre-prints of research articles, and non-traditional academic outputs. Manara is a service managed by the Qatar National Library. This session serves as an introduction to the resource and showcases how it can be accessed and used in support of faculty research activities.

More information here.

1

VCU TechTransfer and Ventures. The Technology Transfer Process. Type of Intellectual Property (IP)

Ivelina Metcheva, Assistant Vice President for Innovation, VCU, and Magdelena Morgan, Director of Licensing, VCU

As a general overview of support available from the home campus, this session will introduce different types of IP, such as patents, trademarks, etc., and available protection options. It will provide information on the VCU infrastructure for IP protection and commercialization and an introduction and general overview of the technology transfer process and its benefits. More information here.

2

Developing a business case for start-up creation

Ivelina Metcheva, Assistant Vice President for Innovation, VCU, and Magdelena Morgan, Director of Licensing,VCU

This session addresses building a complete business case while telling an engaging story with a market-ready plan. It provides an introduction to building a case for new venture formation. It will familiarize the community with important aspects such as the total addressable market, barriers to entry and IP landscape, freedom to operate, and technology readiness level.

3

The Art of the Pitch: How to pitch to industry and investors

Magdelena Morgan, Director of Licensing, VCU

This session will introduce the community to how to develop and deliver a successful pitch, addressing key distinctions between an effective business pitch vs. a scientific presentation and the distinction between industry vs. investor presentations, along with all the do’s and don’ts.

4

Grant Writing – Pitching your Idea

John Ryan, Associate Vice President for Research Development, VCU

What makes an idea or a pitch memorable? How do you make your grant application stand out from the stack? Let’s dissect urban myths and see what we can learn!

5

QF IP + Copyright

Rosena Nhlabatsi, IP Expert, Qatar Research Development and Innovation office

In this session, an overview of Qatar Foundation Intellectual Property is discussed with the opportunity to address questions regarding possible considerations for your research.

6

Grant Proposal Development

Melissa Throckmorton, Director of Research Development and Strategic Projects

This workshop covered strategies for putting together your grant application on schedule and with ample time for reviewing and editing.

7

Funding Acquisition in the Arts and Humanities

Josh Hahn, Senior Grant Development Specialist, VCU

Learn about how to seek funding in the arts and humanities. This workshop covers how to find opportunities. We also discussed how to understand and align with the mission of the funder.

8

Predatory Journal and Conference Practices

Mike Wirtz, Head of Research, VCUarts Qatar Libraries

The lines between legitimate and predatory publishers are increasingly more difficult to distinguish. This session discusses the state of predatory publishing and addresses key considerations, red flags, and best practices when evaluating how to present or disseminate your research.

9

How to access DIS:CO

Dr Diane Derr, Associate Dean of Research, VCUarts Qatar

DIS:CO (discovery and collection) is a community driven repository of relevant opportunities in support of research, scholarship, creative activities and professional development across disciplines.

Resources 3 Vcuarts Website

Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Maryrose Flanigan, Executive Director and Veronica Stanich, Program Manager, A2RU

This workshop will address key challenges in interdisciplinary collaborations. Participants will explore approaches and processes to effectively capitalize on collaborative opportunities through a series of targeted activities. Find the Collaboration Toolkit and Collaboration Workbook on the links.

Resources 1 Vcuarts Website

Situating Creative Practice as Research

Maryrose Flanigan, Executive Director and Veronica Stanich, Program Manager, A2RU (Online due to COVID)

This workshop will address conceptions of creative practice as research in the higher ed ecosystem. Participants will gain an understanding of when and how they might frame their work as research.

Resources 2 Vcuarts Website

Impact and Dissemination of Creative Practice

Maryrose Flanigan, Executive Director, and Veronica Stanich, Program Manager, A2RU (Online due to COVID)

This workshop aims at identifying teaching pedagogies and strategies that provide impactful experiences and opportunities to build a strong teaching portfolio and document teaching practice as scholarship.