A group of 20 aspiring entrepreneurs in Qatar has completed Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP)’s Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Programme (TIEP), which helps participants understand commercial strategies and break into Qatar’s and the region’s rapidly emerging start-up scene.

A total of 14 leading organisations in Qatar were represented in this graduating class of TIEP, including Qatar Science Leadership Programme, Qatar Shell, RasGas, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Qatar University (QU), Aspetar, Texas A&M University at Qatar (TAMUQ), Msheireb Properties, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMUQ), Qatar Foundation International, Midmac and Advanced Technical Services.

The Most Outstanding Student Awards were presented to Fathima Mona Thowfeek, a QU graduate; Tamanna Zahangir, a Texas A&M University graduate; and Heba al-Athamna from HMC. The two students who were awarded for Most Committed Learner were Sara Malaeb and Al Jazi Nahiyyan.

The recent final pitch presentation by the student teams at QSTP represented the culmination of six months of work evaluating the innovation projects. The Best Pitch Award went to two teams: String Voltage Balancing Converter project team (QNRF-NPRP & TAMUQ project) and the Minimally Invasive Robotic Surgery project team (QNRF-NPRP & Qatar Robotic Surgery Centre project).

This year’s class comprised 11 different nationalities and a diverse range of professional ambitions and experience. Additionally, four aspiring young entrepreneurs and graduates from TAMUQ and QU completed full-time internships in the programme, while three trainees from the Qatar Science Leadership Programme also completed a six-month, full-time rotation at TIEP.

QSTP managing director Hamad al-Kuwari said, “QSTP is increasingly focused on building the skills needed to create competitive, home-grown technology businesses and TIEP has been one of the main vehicles for achieving that.”

The 2013-2014 cohort of TIEP kicked off last November. This year saw special lectures by Christina Chase from Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s famed Sloan School of Management and serial entrepreneur Dr Maher Hakim, who spent two decades in the San Francisco Bay area and now teaches at CMUQ.