ReporterGovernment entities in Qatar have made significant progress in adopting smarter, evidence-based decision-making since the establishment of the Tasmu Innovation Lab in February 2020, an official at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) has said. Eman al-Kuwari, Director of Digital Innovation at the MCIT, stated that the lab provides a controlled environment where public institutions can test emerging technologies before committing to full-scale projects. “Since its inception, we wanted to create a platform for government entities in the country to explore and experiment with emerging technologies for the different challenges that we’re facing,” al-Kuwari said during the Ibtechar Majlis held previously in Doha. According to al-Kuwari, the idea was to provide a secure space where they could validate concepts, collaborate with startups, and assess how these technologies could be integrated into their environments. Al-Kuwari explained that not every challenge is suited to technological solutions, citing instances where some tasks are redirected to other entities when policy gaps need to be addressed before technology can be applied. She also stressed the importance of precision in public sector innovation, emphasising that “there is no room for us to fail.” Al-Kuwari pointed out: “When we implement a big project, we need to implement it well. That’s why the innovation lab exists – to test, experiment, and validate before going full scale.” She noted that sandbox testing often reveals regulatory blind spots, citing use cases outside of Qatar. “We’ve seen this in Estonia, Singapore, and the UK. When you test emerging technologies, you often uncover regulatory gaps. This gives us early detection and a chance to improve before a major rollout,” she stressed. According to al-Kuwari, the MCIT’s sandbox model is helping Qatar build a more agile, data-driven public sector by collaborating with startups and drawing advisory expertise. She added: “It’s a good way to introduce government entities to the ecosystem. And most importantly, it helps them validate their ideas in a controlled, secure environment.” Tasmu is Qatar’s national Smart Qatar programme, launched by MCIT to drive digital transformation across priority sectors, such as transport, health, environment, logistics, and sports, stated the Tasmu Innovation Lab website. The website explained that the lab provides an open and inclusive environment for government entities, researchers, and technology partners to access, explore, and co-create solutions. It focuses on emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and extended reality (XR). The lab serves as a bridge between the government and the innovation ecosystem, ensuring that challenges identified by ministries are addressed through collaborative problem-solving. It also supports proof-of-concept testing and early validation, helping detect regulatory gaps before national roll-outs, the website further stated.