The transformation of the Middle East into a global innovation destination is already under way through regional initiatives, Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) secretary-general Hassan al-Thawadi has said.
He made the observation while speaking to entrepreneurs as a final judge of the MIT Enterprise Forum Pan-Arab Region’s 10th Arab Startup Competition in Bahrain.
For the man leading Qatar’s preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the first ever tournament in the Middle East offers an “unparalleled opportunity to mark the region as a global destination for innovation”, the SC has said in a press statement.
“Our vision is to provide an environment for creativity and entrepreneurship to flourish and to ensure that the finest minds in our region are provided with the ultimate platform for their ideas and concepts – being part of the fabric of the World Cup in 2022,” said al-Thawadi, highlighting the example of the SC’s Challenge 22 regional innovation programme. 
He added: “The response to Challenge 22 has been phenomenal. Almost 1,000 concepts were submitted in our latest edition. For me, Challenge 22 symbolises a window into the talent that we have in our region and the hunger and desire that exists to develop that talent.”  
Submissions to this year’s cycle of Challenge 22 have combined creativity with innovation, including concepts to make sustainable stadium seats from palm tree fibres, create smart jerseys to help prevent cardiac arrest or enhance spectator experience through in-seat food delivery. The 28 finalists from the second cycle of the award were recently announced by the SC.  
Member of a judging panel at the MIT Enterprise Forum alongside renowned regional entrepreneurs and business leaders Wassim Basrawi, Maher Ezzeddine and Khaled Ismail, al-Thawadi added: “Entrepreneurship and innovation are vital in order to create the economic growth required to provide the future that the youth of our region deserve.”
The first place and a prize money of $15,000 went to Blinkapp from Egypt for offering an innovative solution by utilising smartphones to automatically detect car crashes and transmit assistance notifications. Meanwhile, the first runner-up and $10,000 went to SpicaTech from Lebanon, while an Egyptian innovation called NanoGreen was the second runner-up, winning $5,000. 
The event featured more than 140 entrepreneurs, 51 judges, four trainers, over 80 start-ups which exhibited in the expo area, and 450 people who attended the final award ceremony.
“From a World Cup perspective, myself and the team in attendance were able to build new regional contacts that can work to enhance Challenge 22 and also begin discussions about potentially integrating some of the entrepreneurs and their ideas into our work, whether directly or indirectly relating to the tournament,” al-Thawadi concluded.




Related Story