Commercial Bank and Carnegie Mellon sign MoU

Organisations to collaborate in education, scientific research and community development

Doha, Qatar: The Commercial Bank of Qatar (“Commercial Bank”) and Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to promote a closer relationship between the two organisations in the fields of education, scientific research and community development.

The MoU comes into effect immediately and was signed by Commercial Bank’s CEO, Mr Abdulla Saleh Al Raisi and CMU-Q’s Dean and CEO Dr Ilker Baybars at Commercial Bank Plaza. The first in a series of joint initiatives between Commercial Bank and CMU-Q is a research project on the local banking sector, including a detailed analysis of market trends and the impact of international regulations. Further initiatives under the MoU include senior Commercial Bank executives attending CMU-Q’s Executive Education Programme, and Commercial Bank sponsoring a competition where CMU-Q students address the needs of senior citizens in Qatar and their caregivers.

During the signing ceremony, Commercial Bank’s CEO, Mr Abdulla Saleh Al Raisi said: “Commercial Bank places a strong emphasis on education and development, both internally and across Qatar in support of the Qatar National Vision 2030. I am delighted to strengthen our relationship with this world-class university and the numerous joint initiatives under the MoU will make a valuable contribution towards building a knowledge-based economy.”

Ilker Baybars, Dean and CEO of CMU-Q, said: “Carnegie Mellon is committed to Qatar’s National Vision 2030, with a particular focus on educating the next generation of leaders and thinkers in Qatar. We look forward to collaborating with Commercial Bank to bring new opportunities for our students, faculty and the wider community.”

The MoU aims to improve and reinforce knowledge for the university’s students in the fields of education, scientific research, executive training, social development as well as business management, IT and public policies. To achieve these goals, both parties will organize joint conferences and workshops. 

The MoU was signed in the presence of several Commercial Bank officials and Carnegie Mellon’s Assistant Dean of Government Initiatives and Corporate Affairs, Fadhel Annan.

As a global leader in education, Carnegie Mellon University is known for its creativity, collaboration across disciplines, and top programmes in business, technology and the arts. The university has been home to some of the world’s most important thinkers, among them 18 Nobel Laureates and 11 Turing Award winners.

In 2004, Qatar Foundation invited Carnegie Mellon to join Education City, a groundbreaking center for scholarship and research. As Carnegie Mellon Qatar celebrates its 10th anniversary, the campus continues to grow, providing a prestigious education to 400 students from 42 countries. The university offers five undergraduate degree programs in Biological Sciences, Business Administration, Computational Biology, Computer Science and Information Systems.

Students in Qatar join more than 12,000 Carnegie Mellon students across the globe, who will become the next generation of leaders tackling tomorrow’s challenges. The university’s 90,000 alumni are recruited by some of the world’s most innovative organizations, such as Commercial Bank.