The World Innovation Summit for Education (Wise), an initiative of Qatar Foundation, has launched  Wise Accelerator, a tailor-made mentorship programme to support high potential, scalable projects that address education challenges in innovative ways.

Each year, seven projects will be selected to join the year-long mentorship programme during which they will benefit from expert mentoring to help build effective and sustainable growth strategies in the areas of financial management, marketing, operational implementation, legal and human resources, and others.

The Wise Accelerator is seeking projects that use technology - from the conception of apps and digital games to the creation of online platforms or the design of new curricula and pedagogies integrating technology. All education projects that are using or designing technology are invited to apply.

HE Sheikh Abdulla bin Ali al-Thani, Chairman of Wise, said: “This programme has been carefully designed to provide high-potential education projects with the support they need to flourish. We realised that there are so many organisations and dedicated people building the future of education who just need an extra hand from experts in various fields to move their projects ahead. I hope the Wise Accelerator will provide them with the exposure and support they need to reach their full potential as change makers in education.”

The chosen projects will also benefit through the Wise international network, creating opportunities to share knowledge and find further support from donors and investors.

The programme will officially kick-off at the Wise Summit 2014 in Doha where the selected projects will be invited to take part in specific workshops and be offered unique networking opportunities. The deadline to apply for the 2014-2015 Wise Accelerator is September 8, 2014, by 16.00 GMT. Further information on how to apply can be found at http://www.wise-qatar.org/wise-accelerator-apply-now