Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP), part of Qatar Foundation Research and Development (QF R&D), hosted the second demo day for its flagship three-month long ‘Accelerator Programme’ last week.
The initiative is aimed at bridging the gap between research and commercialisation, while facilitating the transformation of inspiring ideas into feasible products that address various market demands. QSTP’s ‘Accelerator Programme’ is part of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development’s (QF) unique approach to research and development.
In collaboration with key programme partners, including Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI) and the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy’s ‘Challenge 22’ initiative, nine participants underwent robust training under the supervision of business and technology experts.
Offering innovative solutions to trending business needs, such as media technology, personal life, health and fitness, education, and entertainment, the second demo day featured nine innovative projects. These included ‘V3V’, ‘Tweet Mogaz’, ‘Aingel’, ‘Gamified Self’, ‘Metis’, ‘EcoGym’, ‘Ergonomic T-Shirt’, ‘MaktApp’, and ‘Braille Touch’.
Hamad al-Kuwari, QSTP’s managing director, said: “Transforming technological and scientific ideas into marketing products is a long process, and QSTP’s ‘Accelerator Programme’ is designed to walk the long path of product development alongside young innovators. This stems from our belief that establishing change in our economies requires hard work, progressive policies, and the ability to take calculated risks.”
A number of innovative entrepreneurial ideas were presented at the event, including ‘TweetMogaz’, a news portal that generates news from social media posts of individual users. It aims to report unique news stories in real-time, measure public opinion, and open new dimensions around the utilisation of social media.
‘MaktApp’, a project developed by a group of bright Qataris and pitched by Saleh al-Mansoori, offers a portfolio of cloud services as an all-in-one business solution for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
‘Metis’, a project designed by students at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, offers a comprehensive and creative solution to academic planning for undergraduate students, while ‘Braille Touch’ aids reading for the visually impaired through the use of existing touch devices.
QSTP’s ‘Accelerator Programme’ is an intensive three-month programme to provide aspiring entrepreneurs with training and mentorship to help them take their ideas to the market.
QSTP holds training programme for aspiring entrepreneurs
