The Qatar Research, Development, and Innovation (QRDI) Council’s Qatar Open Innovation programme, launched in 2022, has achieved significant milestones, fostering collaboration between large local enterprises and the global innovation community.
With 46 Open Innovation Calls, launched in partnership with 19 local partners across key sectors, including AI and technology, agriculture, energy and environment, healthcare, and transportation, the programme has garnered participation from Qatar and countries worldwide.
The programme received 1,154 submissions from innovators worldwide. Qatar became the second-largest source of applications, with 129 applications submitted by Qatari companies, 11% of the total number of applications submitted.
Omar al-Ansari, secretary general of QRDI Council, said: “Qatar Open Innovation Programme creates a vibrant marketplace for innovative technologies developed by the private sector, to be co-developed in collaboration with Qatar's large local enterprises and government agencies. Qatar Open Innovation Programme is dedicated to developing technology development teams locally in Qatar, creating opportunities for local talent in the private sector, and attracting the best international talent to contribute to Qatar’s innovation ecosystem. The programme also allows Qatar’s most important enterprises across various economic sectors to access new-to-market technologies, empowering them to overcome business challenges and achieve global leadership.”
To date, 20 innovation opportunities have been awarded to innovative private sector companies, turning into running technology co-development and piloting projects in various implementation stages.
A notable project that was recently completed is titled “Digital Port & Marine Services Platform supported by Blockchain Technology”. This open innovation opportunity saw Milaha collaborating with US data management startup Vendia to optimise maritime functions. Proof-of-concept was successfully demonstrated in two cases, showing significant improvements in operational efficiency. This led Milaha to embark on the development of a larger scale digital maritime eco-system for Qatar port.
Another project nearing completion is titled the “Smart Tools for Audio Analytics in IoT networks,” an open innovation opportunity where Ooredoo partnered with Groundup.ai, a startup company from Singapore specialising in IoT (internet-of-things) solutions. The project led to the development of a highly accurate predictive model for asset failure, which offers potential new business opportunities for Ooredoo to explore in the facility management, manufacturing and oil and gas industries.
These projects highlight the Qatar Open Innovation Programme’s effectiveness in fostering collaborative innovation and demonstrate its role in driving technological advancements and environmental sustainability in key industries.
